VIDALIA – Christy Corley’s teachers at Vidalia Junior High School call her a leader and a role model. Accustomed to the praise, Corley just smiles and says she’s a &uot;people person.&uot;

&uot;I like helping people and and I like talking to people,&uot; she said. &uot;I feel like I can help people with their problems.&uot;

Perhaps that’s why Corley was recently chosen as a VJH &uot;peer leader&uot; for the second consecutive year.

As a peer leader, Corley talks with students both her own age and those younger about everyday problems, with an emphasis on drug awareness.

But, a short conversation with Corley will prove that her people skills are not her only talent.

A straight-A student, student council member and pitcher for the school’s fast-pitch softball team, Corley is also highly involved with her church, Abundant Life in Natchez. &uot;I want people to remember me as a good kid,&uot; Corley said simply when asked what motivates her.

&uot;I’ve always wanted to be on top of things; that’s just the kind of person I am,&uot; she said.

Though she just turned 14, Corley is determined to get a head start on her future, where she sees herself as a college graduate and a clerical secretary for a financial institution.

&uot;I think it’s good for people to start thinking about what they want to do as early as possible,&uot; she said.

By starting early, Corley said she will have more time to explore her interests and expand her education, which she takes very seriously, even as an eighth-grader.

&uot;If you don’t get a basic foundation, you don’t have anything to grow on,&uot; she said.

Also part of that foundation are her parents, Mike and Sue Corley of Vidalia, who Corley credits for her constant drive for excellence.