Bethani Johnson

Bethani Johnson is a citizen of the Navajo Nation from Flagstaff Arizona. Bits’éé’ łee’ sitą́, her family home, is in Beeshbitoh on the Navajo Reservation. She introduces herself through her clans: Tótsohnii nishłį́, Bilagáana bashishchíín, Naasht’ézhí Tábąąhá dashicheii, Bilagáana dashinálí. Ákót’éego diné asdzáán nishłį́.

Bethani is a junior at the University of Arizona pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Law with a minor in Religious Studies. She is also a Chief Manuelito Scholar. Her identity as a Diné woman, her advocacy for Indigenous rights, and her pre-law studies have shaped her passion for public service, particularly in Indigenous spaces. She works at the Wassaja Carlos Montezuma Center for Native Health as a student and research assistant. Her academic interests include tribal sovereignty, Indigenous-led research, and the ways legislation affects Indigenous communities. She hopes to pursue a career in law supporting Indigenous self-determination.