The 2025 Vision Fellows Are Announced!
The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship Grants Committee is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2025 Vision Fellowship and Vision Scholar awards. The Committee was impressed by these individuals' passionate and thoughtful commitment to their endeavors and fields of study, as well as to the Island. They showed a vision to support and sustain the Island’s best qualities in the years ahead, not just as it exists today.
The 2025 Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellows are:
Maggie Craig will use this award to support her continued study of how biochar can address several critical Island issues, including elevated wildfire risk, contaminated groundwater, insufficient local food production, large transportation footprint, and degradation of critical habitat for rare species and commercial shellfish. During the upcoming year, Maggie will work with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to restore habitat in the Manuel Correllus State Forest by turning wood debris into biochar on-site. She is coordinating a collaboration between Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, Tisbury Waterways, Inc., the Tisbury Harbormaster, and the Town of Tisbury to use biochar from Phillips Preserve for a stormwater swale at Owen Park, demonstrating the potential circularity of wood waste and water remediation. She is also installing biochar enclosures in Tashmoo Spring Pond to analyze the efficiency of nutrient removal from eutrophic water.
Rodrigo Honorato will pursue his master’s in clinical mental health counseling. His goal is to become a school adjustment counselor, with a goal to help reduce the drop-out rate for Brazilian youth. Rodrigo earned his bachelor's degree in social work from Southern New Hampshire University’s online program as a 2022 Vision Fellow. He now works in administrative support at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS), after having worked for several years as a Family Support Worker at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services. Rodrigo has been a soccer coach for more than 10 years and has recently been elevated to be head coach for the MVRHS boys’ varsity soccer team. Rodrigo is especially eager to learn how to implement peer mentoring programs and build resilience in students, equipping them with the tools they need to cope with stress, anxiety and other mental health challenges.
Island Health Care (IHC), with Haley Dolan as the Vision Fellow, and Island Grown Initiative (IGI), with Merrick Carreiro as the Vision Fellow, will implement the Island Nourish Network project. This project builds on successful prior ‘Food is Medicine’ initiatives led by IHC and IGI. Studies have shown that produce prescription programs increase access to fresh, nutritious foods, leading to better dietary quality and reductions in chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. In 2022, IHC implemented a Produce Rx Program that substantiated these results. Over the next three years, the goal of the Island Nourish Network project is to ensure Islanders in need of food and nutrition support are referred to the appropriate resources and are empowered with tailored tools, education and support. The overarching aim is to reduce food/nutrition insecurity, prevent and improve the control of diet-related chronic conditions, and ultimately enhance the community’s health and resilience. As part of this project, IHC, in collaboration with Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, will complete a comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment, whose findings will directly shape the INN program. Over the past eight years, IHC and IGI have partnered together to increase nutrition support for IHC patients in several ways. For example, they piloted a produce prescription program that offered coupons for the IGI Mobile Market; they worked together to bring the Fresh Connect produce prescription program to both IHC and the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital; and IGI provides nutritious prepared meals for IHC patients, including families with newborns. Together, IHC and IGI will reimagine the screening process for participation, create tailored intervention plans, and improve coordination among Island organizations to create greater impact.
Judy Jones will earn her Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Post Master’s Certificate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. Attaining this specialty certification will allow Judy to manage more advanced and complex mental health conditions for those in need in the Martha’s Vineyard community. Judy provides primary care, with a special interest in patients with behavioral and/or substance use challenges. She is the clinical lead for Island Health Care’s primary care providers, where she works closely with the Chief Clinical Officer, Chief Quality Officer, and behavioral health team. She also works remotely for an opioid treatment program, admitting patients to outpatient care for substance use disorders. In over 24 years of practice, Judy had been a correctional head nurse, director of an HIV program, director of an academic nurse practitioner program, and Chief Medical Officer of a community mental health center.
Tim Persinko will create a documentary film about the immigration experience of the Brazilian community on Martha’s Vineyard. The film will document the stories of Brazilian community members’ journeys to the United States and their choice to make a life on the Island. The film will explore the process of leaving home, finding home, and creating a community. The project will document a broad range of oral histories that can help viewers better understand the circumstances, choices, and aspirations that have made the Brazilian community such a large part of the Island’s culture. In a time of national debate over federal immigration policy, the goal of the film is to offer a narrative on immigration told by local voices here on Martha’s Vineyard.
Krystle Scheaffer will complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing through Southern New Hampshire University’s online program. Ultimately, she is on the path to becoming a nurse practitioner. Having grown up on the Island, Krystle recognizes the importance of being actively involved in a small community. She has served as a paramedic on the Island for over 13 years. Since 2009, she has worked in various capacities with Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. She started as a unit coordinator in the Emergency Department, then advanced to become a medical scribe. From there, she became Medical Scribe Manager before serving as Executive Assistant to the Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Department Medical Director. She currently works as a nurse in the Internal Medicine Department and as a paramedic with both the Edgartown Fire/EMS Department and the Tisbury EMS Department. She also serves as a substitute school nurse. Krystle is the youngest of seven children and the first to attend college.
Matt Taylor will continue his project to create a series of short films that document the rich tapestry of Island agriculture and the traditional, agricultural-based life practices that have been passed down through generations of Islanders and which continue to shape the community. Upon completion, Matt’s films will be donated to the MV Agricultural Society and the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. The new films will join the eight films Matt previously created which can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/784777959. Matt’s new films will feature, among others, Marjorie Rogers, a 14th generation West Tisbury native and founder of Pond View Farm, Andrew Woodruff and his work at Whippoorwill and Thimble Farms, and haying at up-Island farms, including Flatpoint Farm, Mermaid Farm, and Morning Glory Farm.
Indaia Whitcombe, the recently appointed Oral History Curator at Martha’s Vision Museum, with partial support from the Vision Fellowship, will continue her professional training in the work of oral history and documentary storytelling to preserve and celebrate Island history and culture. Chief Curator Bonnie Stacy will facilitate training Indaia in the management of the Museum’s oral history collection, preservation, and oral history best practices. Indaia will be a member of the curatorial team and will assist with exhibition development and installation. She will work to ensure that oral histories are well-integrated into MVM exhibits to make them more accessible to the public.
Vision Scholar Awards:
The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship Scholar Award recognizes high school seniors who are committed to strengthening the Island’s social and environmental sustainability and who show promise as future leaders and change advocates. The Vision Scholar award is for two-years in the amount of $10,000 per year. For more information, visit https://www.vineyardvision.org/
This year’s Vision Scholars are:
Shevaun Brown who will study biochemistry at UMass Amherst in the fall. Shevaun wants to deepen his understanding of how chemistry and biology intersect in the environment, so that he can research new ways to address the constantly evolving threats to our environment. This year, Shevaun won the grand prize at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Science Fair for his project on the best soil for green roof sedums. He also participates in the Protect Your Environment club, the Black Student Alliance, the Garden Club, and the Chess Club.
JackSun Engler who plans to study biology, biochemistry and psychology. His goal is to utilize technology and innovation to contribute to healthcare solutions that are sustainable, equitable, and integrated into the community. He has worked on a smart pillbox project focused on improving medication adherence in communities where patients struggle with access to prescriptions, follow-up care, or mental health support. He has also interned in several areas in the medical field. JackSun is a three-sport varsity athlete (basketball, soccer, and baseball) and president of the student council. He has worked as a personal care attendant and mentor at Camp Jabberwocky and as a camp counselor at Sense of Wonder for several summers.
Emily MacMillan who plans to study sociology and justice and peace studies. Since her freshman year, Emily has participated in the MVRHS Career Technical Education program focusing on the Carpentry & Building Trades. In her senior year, she founded an independent project to build a tiny house on a trailer to illustrate how serious housing issues have become. Her project has focused on affordability, sustainability and accessibility. Emily has been involved with Rise Vineyard Performing Arts since 2017 in various capacities, including as company coordinator and dancer. In addition to participating in other clubs, Emily is a founding member of the Women of Martha’s Vineyard Club at MVRHS and she plays soccer.
Noah Manning who is finishing his freshman year at Cornell University where he is studying environment and sustainability. Noah’s commitment to environmental conservation and sustainability is rooted in his lived experience as a member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe. Having grown up on his ancestral homelands on Martha’s Vineyard, Noah has developed a profound understanding of the delicate relationship between people and the land. Noah says that this connection has instilled in him a “responsibility to preserve our environment, ensuring that future generations can continue to sustain themselves through our traditions…. My goal is to integrate scientific research with Indigenous ecological knowledge, recognizing that traditional practices often hold the key to sustainability.”
Nyoka Walters who wants to ultimately pursue a master’s in museum studies with a specialization in digital media. Nyoka will study art history at Temple University. Her goal is to become a museum curator. Nyoka realized her passion for exploring culture and museum work through an internship with the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, where she learned about research, exhibit design, and archival documentation. She subsequently interned at Featherstone Center for the Arts, where she helped set up exhibits, arrange artwork and support artists, and at Mariposa, where she learned how to handle artifacts and create exhibits. Through these experiences, Nyoka learned how different spaces can change the way people experience art and history.
In addition, Sam Gurney, who was awarded a two-year Vision Fellowship upon high school graduation in 2023, has been awarded a second two-year Vision Fellowship, for his junior and senior years. He is studying wildlife and fisheries science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Sam has a deep affinity for the Island’s freshwater habitats and especially its up-Island rivers. He has interned with BiodiversityWorks for the past two summers where he has been conducting fish surveys at ponds and streams across the Island to document current distribution and relevant abundance of fish species for the MV Atlas of Live project.