ACHS is proud to announce the 2025 Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) Award Recipients! These distinguished honors—the DEAC Outstanding Graduate Award and the Famous Alumni Award—recognize two remarkable ACHS graduates whose journeys in integrative health inspire, educate, and uplift their communities.
This year’s honorees, April Foster and Crystal Stevens, exemplify the spirit of lifelong learning, community leadership, and dedication to holistic wellness. Both awardees were celebrated during the ACHS Commencement Ceremony held on June 13, 2025, where they were featured speakers.
🌟 2025 Outstanding Graduate Award: April Foster
April Foster’s path to integrative health was deeply personal. After being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010, she sought to complement her chemotherapy treatment with holistic lifestyle practices. This defining chapter of her life ignited a passion for herbal medicine and set her on a transformative educational journey at ACHS.
What began as a goal to earn a Diploma in Herbal Studies evolved into a Bachelor of Science in Integrative Health Sciences, which she completed in December 2024. Throughout her studies, April grew in confidence and purpose, sharing her knowledge at wellness events, speaking to nursing students about trauma and holistic tools, and supporting pregnant mothers through her work as a doula and yoga instructor. Her education gave her the tools to integrate aromatherapy, music therapy, herbal teas, and yoga into a powerful holistic practice.
In a serendipitous turn, April was offered the position of Executive Director at Soulside Healing Arts in Peoria, Illinois—an opportunity that aligned perfectly with her passions and education. In her new leadership role, she oversees yoga programs, doula initiatives, wellness workshops, and more. With a vision to expand services into herbal consultations, aromatherapy, and acupuncture, April is helping shape Soulside into a comprehensive wellness hub.
🌟 2025 Famous Alumni Award: Crystal Stevens
Crystal Stevens is a force for change in the world of herbalism, sustainability, and earth stewardship. A longtime herbalist, educator, author, and organic farmer, Crystal’s connection to ACHS dates back to 2006, when she enrolled in her first formal herbal training. That foundational education gave her the knowledge and confidence to pursue her dreams of creating a life centered around plants, people, and the planet.
Since then, Crystal has gone on to become the owner of Flourish Farmstead in Godfrey, Illinois, a vibrant hub of herbal education, regenerative agriculture, and community resilience. Through the Flourish Folk School, she teaches herbalism, ethical wild foraging, botanical dyeing, and earth skills. Her programs draw people from across the Midwest who seek to reconnect with nature and reclaim ancestral knowledge.
A published author with New Society Publishers, Crystal has written three books and is currently working on Homegrown Apothecary. She regularly presents at the Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference and has spoken at national gatherings, including the Mother Earth News Fairs. Her dedication to growing and protecting at-risk medicinal plants like Ginseng and Goldenseal led to her farm’s inclusion in the United Plant Savers’ Botanical Sanctuary Network in 2022.
With her Bachelor of Science in Integrative Health Sciences degree from ACHS, she was accepted to graduate school and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Biology at Miami University through Project Dragonfly, further expanding her reach as a scientist, advocate, and educator.
Honoring Impact and Inspiration
Both April and Crystal reflect the mission of ACHS: to lead the advancement of evidence-based, integrative health and wellness education through experiential online learning and sustainable practices. Their accomplishments serve as an inspiration not only to ACHS students and alumni but to all who seek to create a meaningful difference through natural health.
Please join us in congratulating April Foster and Crystal Stevens for their extraordinary achievements and continued leadership in the integrative health field!
