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Evelyn Tello-Mendoza has taken on a variety of leadership roles in their time as a University of North Georgia (91¸£Àûµ¼º½) student. They served as president of the Spectrum Alliance and vice president of the Latino Student Association (LSA) in 2021-22.

Tello-Mendoza's approach to such positions is one of empathy.

"I lead by taking into consideration that my teammates are people with feelings," the Gainesville, Georgia, resident said. "They are going through struggles just like I am."

Tello-Mendoza is scheduled to graduate in May 2023 with a degree in psychology. They have taken part in the McNair Scholars Program, which is designed to prepare sophomores, juniors and seniors from all 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ campuses for post-graduate studies through involvement in research and scholarly activities. Participants are either first-generation college students with financial needs or members of a group traditionally underrepresented in graduate education who have shown strong academic potential.

"I didn't have family who had been to graduate school," Tello-Mendoza said. "It has helped guide me to the steps I need to take to achieve a graduate degree."

Their research through McNair has studied how minority communities have less access to sex education. This focus is consistent with their work both in Spectrum and LSA. They also helped organize the Spanish-language celebration of graduates that allowed their families to honor their graduates' accomplishments in a ceremony where they understood what was happening.

"I aim to amplify the voices of minority communities," Tello-Mendoza said.

Tello-Mendoza is most proud of organizing a drag show in spring 2022 that had eight 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ students lip-sync songs to win prize money.

"It was a great experience. The atmosphere was amazing, and I was grateful to be a part of it," they said. "The music was wonderful, and the crowd was engaged."