Rajaena grew up in a small, rural community in south-central Nebraska, where her mom encouraged participation in the arts through piano and dance lessons.  Red Cloud, a nearby community, and childhood home of the author Willa Cather, served as an additional connection to cultural endeavors.  A Red Cloud citizen, Norman Pierce, was a Native American advocate and produced many events promoting Native American culture as well as using pheasant feathers in a number of different ways.  Although his work with feathers was entirely different from Rajaena’s, certainly they share a love of the unequaled beauty of these birds.

Upon receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Education, Rajaena taught music for seven years with small vocal performance groups receiving statewide recognition.  After a three-year stint in piano and organ sales, Rajaena went back to receive her Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics and Communications.  Upon graduation, Rajaena spent the next 16 years at Omaha Steaks selecting food products and educating staff, plus using her creative energy with food styling for catalogs and mailings.

While at Omaha Steaks, she received her Master’s degree in Human Resources and Family Science and then went to the American Heart Association where, for ten years, she planned and organized many innovative public and professional education programs.

Over 25 years ago, while at home at Thanksgiving, Rajaena found her mom enjoying a new hobby—making cowboy hatbands and enhancing pieces of clothing with pheasant feathers.  Intrigued, Rajaena returned home with feathers in hand, where she ‘dabbled’ with making brooch-type pins and bolo ties and selling them at craft shows over the next 10 years.

During the summer of 2005, she became ‘reconnected’ to her feather artwork, beginning to design the images you see on this website.