Natalie Gaver, an Amethyst client, is to be presented with a Live Your Dream Award by the Columbus, Ohio chapter of Soroptimist International, a women’s organization formed in 1921. The organization is devoted to gender equality, women’s empowerment, educational opportunities and diversity plus fellowship. Natalie will be honored along with 5 other candidates in early March.
“Natalie was a perfect match since she is a woman who is the primary wage earner for her family and is trying to attain higher education to achieve her dreams,” stated local Soroptimist member Kristi Urig. “Our years of experience working with women and girls has taught us that education is the key to unlocking economic empowerment of the world’s women and girls. When women and girls are educated, they have opportunity, choice and power to make healthy decisions for themselves and their families.”
In the fall of 2024, Natalie began taking online classes at Columbus State to earn her certification as a peer counselor and a Chemical Dependency Counseling Assistant which she will be complete this spring. She also made the “Dean’s List” her very first semester at Columbus State.
During this process Natalie said, “I fell back in love with learning.”
She also realized the importance of someday earning an undergraduate degree and a master’s in Social Work. She plans to graduate from Columbus State in the spring of 2026 with an Associates Degree in Applied Sciences.
“My goal is to work with other struggling individuals to find their way to a better life away from substances or environments that have caused serious issues in their lives. I believe my educational path will afford me to have an extremely rewarding and successful career in the field of substance abuse and mental health.”
“I am forever grateful for Soroptimist and this scholarship, as well as my ability not to just tell my children I’ll be okay but to show them that in so many ways. Winning this scholarship is a powerful reminder of why I push myself as hard as I do. No matter how often I’ve doubted my ability to handle the workloads, time required, maintain my sobriety and navigate life’s everyday stresses, the universe continues to remind me– YES I CAN!” Natalie emphasized.