Diné College issued the following announcement on Feb. 8.
Brandon Lester was recently sworn in as the new Associated Students of Diné College (ASDC) President at a ceremony that took place in the Ned Hatalie Cultural building.
“As the ASDC President, I hold in high regard to being a voice for our students at Diné College and I am excited to use my role in leadership to encourage a positive, proactive, and safe experience at Diné College,” said Lester. “Aside from my educational responsibilities, I co-own and operate the Association of Indigenous Pioneers Incorporated, a family business that my late mother founded in 2008, in which I inherited after her untimely passing,” he said.
Lester, the former vice-president of ASDC will fill the role of president for the remainder of the semester. The primary purpose of the governing body of ASDC is to serve Diné College as the representative student voice at the campus, local, state, and national levels, by way of Nitsáhákees, Nahat’á, Íiná, Siihasin, through social guidance, well-being, learning diversity, accountability, unity, and student leadership.
Lester enrolled with Diné College in the Fall of 2020 majoring in the Associate of Arts in Diné Studies program and is on track to graduate in December of 2022. Once graduated, he plans to pursue his goal of becoming a lawyer.
He is of the Naasht’ezhi Naadáá Dine’é Tachii’nii, born for the Nát’oh Dine’é Tachii’nii, his maternal grandparents are Kinyaa’ánii, and his paternal grandparents are Ashįįhí clan. He is originally from White Cone, Arizona but he currently resides in Dilkon, Arizona with his grandparents Sallyann and Elmer Dick and also with his younger brother, Braden Lester. Lester’s mother was the late Juanita Williams of west White Cone.
Fellow student government officers are excited for this new opportunity afforded Lester. “It is a great honor to see Brandon become the president ASDC. His strong work ethic makes him a great leader and an excellent colleague,” said ASDC Shiprock Senator Marisa Sosa.
Upon its inception, Diné College (then Navajo Community College) was one of the first higher education institution that provided full voting privileges to its student member. Diné College is a four-year tribal college located on the Navajo reservation with six campuses and two microsites across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah and primarily serves Navajo students. The school offers 20 bachelor degrees, 16 associate degrees, and 6 certificate programs. The school is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The College, established in 1968.
Original source can be found here.
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