Tehya Sepulvado receives 2023-24 Hedgepeth Award
The sophomore from Minnesota with a passion for working with children will receive support for her academic pursuits.
The 2023-24 recipient of the Faith Danielle Hedgepeth Award is sophomore Tehya Sepulvado, a citizen of the Choctaw-Apache tribe of Ebarb. A native of Shakopee, Minnesota, Sepulvado is pursuing a double major in American Indian and Indigenous studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and human development and family science in the UNC School of Education.
The UNC American Indian Center established the award in 2015 to celebrate and honor the life of Faith Danielle Hedgepeth by providing a sophomore with funds to support academic pursuits at Carolina.
Sepulvado currently serves as secretary on the Carolina Indian Circle executive board. The Carolina Indian Circle and the UNC American Indian Center “are like a community where I can be myself,” Sepulvado said. “They all understand me more than anyone else.”
Sepulvado also is a member of the Alpha chapter of Alpha Pi Omega Inc., serving as the chieftess, busy bee and Multicultural Greek Council representative. In her free time, she loves to teach kids. Over winter break, she served as a lead teacher at a child care center. This past summer, she ran an infant class by herself.
Ever since she was a child, Sepulvado knew she wanted to pursue higher education. Her parents were in college when she was small, and she remembers helping them study. Because of this, she was able to gain first-hand knowledge of college courses. Her parents earned their degrees through online programs; therefore, they pushed her to become a traditional student.
She said she didn’t have role models in her life to look up to while going through the process of finding and attending colleges as a traditional student, so higher education seemed unattainable to her. Her biggest accomplishment, Sepulvado said, is being admitted to and attending UNC-Chapel Hill.
A big reason Sepulvado decided to go to college out of state was the human development and family science program at Carolina. Her experiences working with children made her realize that it is a strong passion of hers. She also wanted to explore more of the country.
“Moving here was hard at first, but now Carolina is my home away from home,” she said. She decided to double major in American Indian and Indigenous studies after taking a few courses that intrigued her. Remembering the Carolina Indian Circle’s 2023 powwow, she said it was heartwarming to be in a community with so many Native people.
To destress, Sepulvado hangs out with friends and watches movies. “My goal is to not think about school,” she said. “It’s therapeutic to sit back in a nice chair, watch a movie, and not think about classes or homework.”
Sepulvado’s life motto, “Give me knowledge, so I may have kindness for all,” is a saying that hangs on her wall. She attended the vigil held for Hedgepeth in 2022. She views this award as a reminder of the loving and caring spirit of its namesake, who she was, and her vision for the world. Sepulvado wants to do her best to embody that spirit on her life’s path.
