Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan is pleased to honor Natalie with the most prestigious award in the world for girls: the Girl Scout Gold Award. Natalie is among 13 young women who have made a difference in each of their respective communities through sustainable, community change projects. The time and continuous effort these girls have dedicated towards their projects prove they’re true leaders, innovators, and exceptional examples for all girls to look up to.

The Gold Award is Girl Scout’s highest honor and girls are required to spend at least 80 hours investigating the problem, creating a plan, and implementing it. It is presented to Girl Scouts who address a community issue or problem they’re passionate about. Natalie chose to support those with disabilities for her project.

Natalie provided disability resources to both her high school and the elementary school she attended in order to grow awareness around disabilities and its history. She realized that the curriculum in schools today does not provide a full representation of those with disabilities and milestone moments in disability history. In response, she raised money through donations and bottle drives to be able to purchase nearly 100 books that were donated to the elementary and high school. Along with these books, she provided additional resources and lesson plans that could be used for her high school’s LINKS mentoring program.

“I discovered a deep passion for advocating and promoting inclusion for people with disabilities. I’ll continue to use this knowledge I’ve gained to promote inclusion in my school.”