Kristen McCollum, salutatorian of the 2008 graduating class of Central High School, has continued to excel while attending Southwestern University in Georgetown. The sociology major was honored this fall with the $3,000 J. Charles Merrill Peace and Justice Scholarship. McCollum, who also was the sole National Merit Scholarship winner in San Angelo her graduating year, worked at a children's shelter in Austin her sophomore year at Southwestern. With a minor in mathematics, she tutors children at a Georgetown elementary school in mathematics and other subjects. She spent six weeks last summer working in the slums of Lima, Peru, with volunteers from across the U.S. as part of Global Urban Trek. A junior at Southwestern, McCollum is working with The Georgetown Project, which will open a shelter for homeless children. She also is co-president of the campus' Student Peace Alliance.