Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 43

alumni news

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an attorney
and
an advocate

The recipient
of a Chicago
Bar Foundation
scholarship,
Natalie Maust ’09
plans to use her
law degree to
serve low-income
clients.

by Liuan Chen Huska ’09

Natalie Maust ’09 has kept
the words of Psalm 126 close to her heart
as she’s worked with immigrant victims of
domestic violence and violent crime at the
National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) in
the Chicago metropolitan area.
The stories Natalie has heard on the job
haunt her—stories of child sexual abuse,
forced marital relationships, and of women
who could not escape violent partners or
become economically independent without
help in changing their legal status.
Convinced that the seeds sown during
times of weeping eventually bear fruit,
Natalie recently decided to pursue further
training as a law student at Northwestern
University, in hopes of becoming better
equipped to serve the “most vulnerable, yet
most resilient” in her community.
Her path was confirmed when she received
a $40,000 Abraham Lincoln Marovitz
Public Interest Law Scholarship from the
Chicago Bar Foundation in September
2013.
“The selection committee was inspired by
Natalie’s passion, record of public service,
and dedication to serving vulnerable
immigrant populations,” says Andy
Marovitz, chair of the committee.
Natalie’s calling to advocacy is a family
legacy. Her missionary journalist father,
John Maust ’78, covered the Peruvian
church’s efforts to help victims of violence
during the Shining Path insurgency. He
served on the founding board of the human
rights organization Paz y Esperanza, where
Natalie later completed her HNGR (Human
Needs and Global Resources) internship
during her senior year at Wheaton. Many on

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“Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home
with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.”
– Psalm 126:6

Natalie’s mother’s side of the family came
to faith at a Peruvian revival in the 1970s,
and some now serve as missionaries
while others lead social justice or service
organizations in Peru. Exploring her
bicultural roots has strengthened Natalie’s
sense of vocation as a bridge-maker and
cultural broker, attributes she brings to
her work with immigrants in Chicago’s
Pilsen neighborhood, where she now lives.
Dr. Christine Kepner, associate professor
of Spanish, describes Natalie’s attitude
as one of “simple obedience” and “quiet
presence.”

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After majoring in Spanish and anthropology
at Wheaton, Natalie worked for four years
as a paralegal at NIJC, eventually becoming
the coordinator of the U Vi ̈́