Juanita Lorene Lajeunesse, who most know as Miss Lorene, is the District 1 First language speaker for 2025.
She’s full blooded Choctaw and will be 85 years young on February 2, 2026. Miss Lorene has ventured far from her childhood home in order to further her education and to begin her working career.
Her life after a high school was quite colorful for lady from McCurtain County, Okla. Miss Lorene attended Wheelock Academy as a member of the 1957 graduating class. She received her Nurse Aide certification while living in Gainesville, Texas.
Miss Lorene worked as a matron at the Intermountain Indian School in Bigham City, Utah. She married while living in Bigham city and then moved to Minnesota where she worked as a nurses aide at a nursing and rehabilitation center for 23 years. While employed there she received special employee awards on two different occasions. Her supervisor said she was an outstanding worker and her patients adored her.
She took early retirement to come home and care of her mother. She worked at the Choctaw Nation Community Center in Idabel as a nutrition aide for eight years. She’s been a Sunday school teacher for pre-school aged children. She volunteered with the Idabel center after retiring and has actively participated in the Idabel Choctaw community group.
She battled cancer four years ago and won. She enjoys attending and participating in Gospel singing. She was named outstanding elder for district one and was elected to serve as the Choctaw delegate to the National Indian Council on Aging Congress held in Tacoma, Washington.
Miss Lorene is a special lady. She’s sweet, she loves to tease, and she always greets you with a smile. Simply put, Lorene is a Choctaw treasurer.