IMAGEN Fellows
The Indigenous Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment Network (IMAGEN) is a coalition of Tribal and Native-led organizations that honors Native lifeways by renewing and sustaining Girl Societies. Our local matrilineal, intergenerational, mentored groups strengthen Native girls in their collective power to thrive and help cultural survival.
Through the IMAGEN Fellows program, we highlight the people whose leadership has brought IMAGEN Girl Societies to their communities. Our continued partnership with the IMAGEN Fellows inspires our work at the Indigenous Justice Circle. Click on their names to read a short bio and learn more about their work.
Star Wheeler
Seneca Nation, Turtle Clan
Native American Community Services (NACS)
Star holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelors and Master of Science in Criminal Justice and a Graduate Certificate in Public Management from Buffalo State University. She is also a Credentialed Prevention Professional (CPP).
Always passionate about working with Native youth, Star has worked at Native American Community Services (NACS) in Buffalo, NY for 20 years in the areas of youth development, substance misuse prevention, suicide prevention, and cancer prevention. She is a community advisory board member for the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and for the Department of Indigenous Cancer Health. Currently, Star is the Health & Wellness Coordinator.
Through workshops, mentorship programs, and advocacy efforts, she continues to champion the importance of mental well-being, striving to ensure that Native American girls grow up feeling seen, heard, and empowered.
Star is a dedicated mental wellness advocate committed to uplifting and empowering Native American girls. Raised with a deep respect for my cultural heritage and community values, she has devoted my adult life to promoting emotional resilience, self-esteem, and access to culturally grounded mental health resources.
With a background in community outreach and youth mentorship, Star works closely with the youth clubhouses and the local Native community to create safe spaces where young girls can share their stories, reconnect with tradition, and build confidence.
Randilynn Bouche'r-Giago
Isaŋti/Sisíthuŋwaŋ Dakota and Diné
Maȟpíya Lúta (Red Cloud) School
Randilynn carries the roles of a mother, wife, educator, artist, and relative to her communities. She has experience as a Lakota/Dakota language Multi Immersion (3-5) Teacher, Curriculum Director, and School Administrator. She received her Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University and her M.Ed. from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
She has coordinated the Wikoskalaka Yuwitapi (Young Women’s Gathering) Healing Camp for the last 14 years. In 2018, she was named an Artist-In-Residence by the Minnesota Historical Society. Her cultural art is displayed in museums across the country. She attended the Sisseton Wahpeton College’s Voices of our Ancestors Program. With extensive experience in immersion education (Land Based Learning, Culturally Responsive Curriculum), museum studies, arts education, and language and culture revitalization, Randilynn mobilizes and enhances Indigenous pedagogy across Native communities.
Courtney Whiteman
Kiowa and Muscogee Creek Tribes
Oklahoma City Indian Clinic
Courtney has a bachelor’s from U of Oklahoma with a major in Native American Studies and Health/Exercise Science. She earned her MPH from Baylor U in 2022. Courtney is a Certified Personal Trainer, Zumba, Yoga, and prenatal yoga instructor at Oklahoma City Indian Clinic (OKCIC).
Courtney helped lead OKCIC’s MISS and Jr. MISS programs, adolescent Indigenous girls’ empowerment programs for OKCIC patients that provide a safe environment for girls to engage in talking circles while completing beadwork and other Native cultural activities.Given OKCIC’s urban environment, Courtney encompasses intertribal approaches in her work. She grew up in the powwow circle as a fancy shawl dancer and incorporates traditional dancing, physical activity, shawl making, applique work, and beadwork into her lessons for girls.
Michaela Parrot
Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, Muscogee Creek
Chickasaw Nation WIC
Michaela Parrott is the WIC community dietitian for the Chickasaw Nation. She was previously a pediatric dietitian at the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. She received her undergraduate degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Central Washington University and did her Master’s in Nutritional Science at Oklahoma State University. She develops after-school programs and camps for Native youth patients. She is proud of her work where she shares her knowledge of her tribes (Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, Muscogee Creek).
While working at OKCIC she worked with the weekly after-school programs called MISS and Jr MISS. They taught girls self-esteem and helped build their confidence as young Indigenous adolescents. The program also included guest speakers from the community to teach the girls different skills and show that there are opportunities to show pride for their culture and heritage. Activities included traditional crafts from various tribes and the mentors sharing personal experiences with the girls. Topics taught at the program included MMIW movement, self-defense, gardening, medicine wheel, and traditional dancing.
Sonja Jensen
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Sonja serves as the Sexual Assault Program Coordinator and Safe Harbor Tribal Regional Navigator with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Victim Services, based in Onamia, Minnesota.
With a bachelor's in criminal justice and training as a certified forensic interviewer, she brings both lived experience and professional expertise to her advocacy work. She is developing an international platform focused on sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, and AI-facilitated abuse. A passionate public speaker, educator, and trainer who is committed to trauma-informed advocacy and empowering survivors and communities across a broad range of settings.
Aimee Pond
Oglala Lakota
Oglala Tiwahe
Aimee’s professional career reflects a strong commitment to serving children, youth, and families. She began her work as a Family Advocate with Laramie Head Start, where she supported low-income families in achieving financial, educational, and personal goals while their children received early childhood education services. After completing graduate school, she returned home to serve the Pine Ridge community as a K–12 School Social Worker where she served as the Section 504 Coordinator and implemented an Attendance Team.
She later joined Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, a Native-led grassroots nonprofit, where she served nearly five years as Youth Leadership Development Initiative Director, creating and managing culturally grounded youth programs. In March 2023, she became the Director of Programs and Partnerships for Friends of the Children He Sapa, a long-term professional mentoring program serving youth on the Reservation and in Rapid City. As Deputy Director for the Tiwahe Initiative, Aimee brings extensive experience in program development, partnership building, and community-centered leadership. She is deeply committed to strengthening systems of support, fostering collaboration, and advancing the health and well-being of Lakota youth and families.