OKLAHOMA FEDERATION OF INDIAN WOMEN

Madison Whitekiller is the 23-year-old daughter of Suzy Whitekiller, granddaughter of Mary Ross, and great granddaughter of the late Walter Whitekiller Jr. Madison comes from a long line of strong Cherokees and is proud to be a direct descendant of Sequoyah – the great Cherokee leader who invented the Cherokee Syllabary. She is from the community of Verdigris, Oklahoma where she graduated high school in 2017 as Valedictorian of her class. She is a proud 2021 graduate of Northeastern State University where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Health and Human Performance. During her time at NSU, Madison was involved in NASA, AISES, president of Alpha Pi Omega, and a proud Riverhawks cheerleader throughout her 4 years. She
currently works in the Valdez laboratory as a laboratory technician studying diabetic retinopathy – a disease that largely impacts Native Americans. Madison has held the titles of Little Miss Cherokee, Junior Miss Cherokee, Miss Cherokee, and is now honored to serve as the 2022 Miss Indian Oklahoma.
Madison is using her reign to be an advocate for the 39 federally recognized tribes of Oklahoma and promote her platform “Guiding Native American Youth to Discover Success through STEM.” She is now a student at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, where she is training to become a physician. Madison wants to serve Indigenous communities by practicing medicine and incorporating translational research into her career to ensure that Native Americans are well represented in the STEM and healthcare fields. Overall, her main goal in life is to combat the health disparities that Native Americans face and ensure that Native Americans can become healthier, stronger, and most importantly, happier. Wado!