By Clare Roth
“You gotta live life.”
Chester Brandon embodied the words on his Instagram bio, according to friends.
“He really lived his life, and … he really did everything to the fullest. I’ve never met someone like him who was so enthusiastic to do all these different things,” close friend and junior finance and supply chain major Esther Hong said.
A car collided with Brandon, a junior information systems major, as he walked near 3300 Bladensburg Road in Prince George’s County on Oct. 31 at approximately 12:40 a.m., according to a Prince George’s County Police Department press release.
Police responding to the scene found the 20-year-old business student in the roadway suffering from trauma, according to the press release. Brandon succumbed to his injuries and died on the scene, according to police.
At UMD, Brandon was actively involved in numerous organizations. He held multiple leadership positions, including vice president of administration for the pre-professional co-ed business fraternity Pi Sigma Epsilon, technology committee member for the Robert H. Smith School of Business’ Undergraduate Student Association and as a teaching assistant for one of the school’s database systems classes, according to Brandon’s LinkedIn.
Family members and friends gathered on Nov. 5 in the Art and Sociology Building for Brandon’s memorial before heading to McKeldin Mall to light candles and release floating lanterns in the Omicron Delta Kappa Fountain to honor him, according to Hong.
The memorial brought some students, such as junior public health science major Maahe Kunvar, closer to Brandon.
“So many students came … to be there in memory of him,” Kunvar said. “I think seeing that for me was really beautiful … I don’t think it really processed for me until I saw that.”
Kunvar, who attended Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland, with Brandon, fondly remembers their brief interaction a few days before his tragic passing. Kunvar said he told her that no matter how busy they both got, he always loved running into her.
“He was one of the most genuine, kind and … just fun-loving … people out there,” Kunvar said.
Hong described Brandon as an extremely loyal and supportive friend who loved music, dancing and traveling. She said one of his goals was to complete a solo trip through Europe.
“He was really someone who always wanted to show up, wanted to be there and I think I just want to be more like that,” Hong said.
Dance was a big part of Brandon’s life. During high school, he danced in the Montgomery County-based K-pop and hip hop group LUCKY8, according to Hong. Later on in college, he became the dance director and captain of the group GGWB, a K-pop, C-pop, and J-pop dance group on campus, according to LinkedIn.
To honor Brandon’s love of dance, the four pre-professional business fraternities are dedicating their semester-based charity fundraiser to the VIVA School of Dance. This charity, selected by Brandon’s mother, is a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that encourages dancers of color to pursue dance and supports them both artistically and educationally, according to the givebutter.com fundraiser post.
The fundraiser is a 5K run at Lake Artemesia on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 11 a.m., according to the post. People can either donate, sign up to volunteer, or pay $25 and sign up to run, according to junior information systems and management major Alyssa Manchester.
Manchester said the fraternities, which have already raised over $13,000, hope to reach their goal of $15,000 after the fundraising event.
“I know how much this means to Chester’s family, and knowing that we’re making that impact on them while they’re dealing with the literal worst thing that can ever happen to a person. It just means so much,” Manchester said.
Featured Image: Photo of Chester Brandon. Photo courtesy of Esther Hong.