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Originally from Uzbekistan, University of North Georgia (Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û) sophomore Diana Ivleva loves the guitar, watching “The Office” and reading classic detective mysteries, and yet still finds time to be active on the Dahlonega Campus and use her talents to serve her peers.

Ivleva serves as the finance director of the Student Government Association (SGA), acting as the leader of the finance committee for all campuses. She shared she's proud to be the woman that she is and credits her success in the role to the wisdom of her father, a former pastor.

"He always told me that a leader is someone who doesn't just tell you what to do because that's a boss. Rather, they distribute responsibilities in the same way that each organ in the body does," Ivleva said. “They don't take all the responsibility on their own."

Considering herself to be spontaneous, she decided to enroll in Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û because she loved the campus view and knew she'd make lots of friends. Her favorite Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û memory is move-in day, she said, remembering meeting her roommate and her boyfriend was merely two doors down the hall.

As a result, her biggest piece of advice for incoming freshmen is to become involved like she has. Ivleva is also a tutor in the Language Lab and a member of the Russian Club, where she serves as treasurer. Joining these organizations was important, she shared.

"That's where you find friends," Ivleva, who expects to graduate in May 2026, said. "Clubs are more fun because it's people with shared interests and it makes things less boring."

Ivleva and her family came to the United States after winning a green card lottery in January 2018. She is currently pursuing a degree in international affairs with a concentration in Europe. Her hope is to pursue a career in the nation's capital that focuses on teaching Russian and involves her minor in linguistics.