Naawakamigookwe Lera Hephner is a lifelong resident of the White Earth Reservation area, where she lives with her young daughter. She teaches Ojibwe language and culture at Waubun school. Naawakamigookwe began beading at seven years old and has had the opportunity to learn from Tara Mason. An accomplished beadwork artist, her devotion to Ojibwe Florals is also reflected in digital artwork and design for fabrics and apparel.

Hephner graduated UM-Morris with a BAA in Anthropology, American Indian Studies, and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization. She is a 2022 graduate of Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative. Hephner has received grants from Lake Region Arts Council, and Region 2 Arts Council, and has been awarded 2023 Spoonflower Small Business Grant Runner-up, 2023–24 Lake Region Arts Council Artists of Color Cohort, and 2024–26 Springboard for the Arts Rural Regenerator Fellowship.