Senior Justin Lester will give the address at the 2 p.m. NDSU commencement ceremony scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16, at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
Graduating NDSU senior Justin Lester has this message for his classmates: Believe in yourself and you will do great things.
Lester, who was selected as class representative, will address attendees at the 2 p.m. ceremony of NDSU commencement scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16, at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The ceremony is for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; College of Engineering; College of Human Science and Education; and Interdisciplinary Studies.
“I think my speech will be a success if it helps the audience reflect on the major accomplishment of graduating from college and use that to build the confidence needed to be successful in the future,” said Lester, who will receive his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural and biosystems engineering.
Highly active during his collegiate career, Lester was a member of the Engineering Ambassadors and participated in the Grand Challenge Scholars Program and Alpha Epsilon Honor Society. He also was a group leader for Welcome Week; conducted research in the group led by Xinhua Jia, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering; and was part of the Engineering Leadership Learning Community during his freshman year.
“Agricultural and biosystems engineering is the smallest department in the College of Engineering which allowed me to get to know the students and faculty very well. This helped me develop valuable relationships that were crucial to my academic success at NDSU,” Lester said. “The thing I am most proud of during my collegiate career is how many times I went outside of my comfort zone and how much I grew because of it.”
Lester’s academic record is outstanding and he received several scholarships, including the M. Bon Memorial Scholarship, Carl and Marylin Thorsen Engineering Scholarship and F.A. Bon Memorial Scholarship.
“NDSU prepared me for my life and career by giving me opportunities to grow as a leader in student organizations, learn how to work in teams through class projects and all of the small life lessons you learn throughout your collegiate journey,” Lester said.
He often chatted with many prospective students in his duties as an Engineering Ambassador, and he used a great approach to urge them to consider NDSU.
“I like to highlight all the opportunities that you have at NDSU and how obtainable they are if you put in the effort,” he said. “Being able to take advantage of those opportunities shaped me into who I am today.”
Following graduation, Lester has accepted a position with the development services group of Kimley-Horn, St. Paul, Minnesota, where he interned this past summer.
A native of Buffalo, Minnesota, he is the son of Tom and Janelle Lester.
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