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Lena Nells, a 2000 graduate of Sequoyah High School and a former Miss Indian Oklahoma stands beside a photo of her that is on display in the Oklahoma Native American Museum in Oklahoma City, OK

TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA – Lena Nells, a 2000 graduate of Sequoyah High School (SHS), has been chosen to represent the Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women in a permanent display in the Oklahoma Native American Museum in Oklahoma City, Okla. A photo of Nells during her reign as Miss Indian Oklahoma has been placed in an exhibit for the public to see.

“This is one of the most prestigious ways that anyone has ever honored me,” Nells said in a phone interview.

Now a resident of Arizona, she made a special trip back to Oklahoma just to see her picture in the museum. Her family still resides in Cherokee County, and her father, James Nells, is a teacher and cross-country coach at Sequoyah. Lena has six brothers and sisters and was raised in a house where foster children were always welcome.

“My parents were foster parents for the Cherokee Nation and fostered more than 30 children and adopted one,” Nells said. “They gave me the right words that you need to give a child and they encouraged me, loved me and helped me.”

James Nells recently thanked his colleagues at Sequoyah High School during a staff meeting for their part in making his children successful.

“I’ve sent five kids through this school and will send one more,” James Nells said. “You all have done a great job in preparing them for their future and I thank you.”

Since graduating from SHS as salutatorian and Miss Sequoyah, Nells has earned the titles of Native American Student Association (NASA) Princess at Bacone College and Miss Indian Oklahoma. While reigning as Miss Indian Oklahoma she visited schools and communities to speak on her platform, continued education.

“Education unlocks doors,” Nells said. “I educated the public as to what Native Americans are and that they do still exist, showed them how we live and tried to break stereotypes.”

Nells is currently working as a client service representative at Regis Business Centers and HQ Global Workplaces in Scottsdale, Ariz. While in college, she double-majored in criminal justice and political science and plans to continue her education in law and use her knowledge to help Native American tribes maintain a strong central government.

Sequoyah High School, a boarding school for Native American students, originated in 1871 as an orphan asylum to take care of many orphans who came out of the Civil War. It has since served as the Sequoyah Orphan Training School and the Sequoyah Vocational School. Now, it is known as Sequoyah High School, named for Sequoyah, a scholar who developed the Cherokee syllabary. In November 1985, the Cherokee Nation resumed the operation of SHS. It is regionally and state accredited for grades 9-12 and has become the school of choice for more than 300 high school students every year. From its humble beginning as a school with one building and 40 acres of land, SHS has grown into a modern institution covering more than 90 acres with a dozen major buildings nested on a beautiful campus five miles southwest of Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Sequoyah High School "Home of the Indians!" P.O. Box 520, Tahlequah, OK 74465             Sequoyah High School Alumni P.O. Box 187, Park Hill, OK 74451-0187 Sequoyah High School, an Indian boarding school, originated in 1871, when the Cherokee National Council passed an act setting up an orphan asylum to take care of many orphans that came out of the Civil War. Sequoyah High School's approximate 300 enrollment represents 42 tribes and 14 different states. Students are eligible to attend if they are members of federally recognized Indian tribes or one-fourth blood descendants of such members.