[6] She was a journalism student under John McPhee (in his “Creative Nonfiction” course), Evan Thomas, and Alma Guillermoprieto,[6] and was also a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta and University Cottage Club.

[9] McCollum also had a musical talent, as seen in her advanced piano skills (despite a rare bone growth that made one of her fingers immobile),[10] and she went on to perform Calvin Jones’s rendition of “Whitewater Chopped Sticks.

For the “Show Us Your Shoes” parade along the Atlantic City Boardwalk, McCollum wore a mermaid costume with flippers and a net banner that read “Washed Ashore and Stronger than the Storm” to honor those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

[14] Tracey Hoover, CEO of Points of Light, also highlighted McCollum's non-profit, The Birthday Book Project, in an article that she wrote for The Huffington Post.

McCollum's longtime boyfriend, News Anchor Keith Jones, delivered the eulogy at both occasions.