Wendell Nezzie Jr. was born and raised in Eagle Butte and Red Scaffold, South Dakota, and he currently resides in Red Scaffold. He has two sisters and two brothers. He attended school in Dupree and graduated from Takini High School in Red Scaffold in 2013.

While working with CRYP, Wendell has completed coursework towards a degree in criminal justice from Oglala Lakota College. He is currently in charge of CRYP’s wellness program; he plans and executes all fitness-related activities, including daily workouts and weekly fitness challenges, and he helps coordinate teen programming for the Wellness Internship Program.