The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship and Vision Scholar has announced the latest recipients of its 2025 awards.
Among the projects receiving an award is a teacher aiming to reduce the dropout rate of Brazilian youth in Vineyard schools, nurses helping address mental health issues on the Island, and Islanders improving food security.
The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship is a nonprofit that supports Islanders who are committed to preserving and enriching the Island’s environmental and social fabric. In a release, the nonprofit said that the recipients “showed a vision to support and sustain the Island’s best qualities in the years ahead, not just as it exists today.”
Maggie Craig is a second-year recipient who will be using her award to continue her study of biochar and how it can address several critical Island issues, including increased wildfire risks, contaminated groundwater, insufficient local food production, a large transportation footprint, and degradation of critical habitats for rare species and commercial shellfish. Craig will collaborate with Island farms and officials to spread awareness about the benefits of biochar, working with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in the coming year to restore habitats in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, turning wood debris into biochar onsite. Craig will be coordinating a collaboration between Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, Tisbury Waterways, 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.
Rodrigo Honorato is going to be pursuing his master’s in clinical health counseling. His goal is to become a school adjustment counselor, with a focus on helping reduce the dropout rate for Brazilian youth. Working in administrative support at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School after several years as a family support worker at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, Honorato offers a firsthand experience–based perspective.
Island Health Care’s Haley Dolan, alongside Island Grown Initiatives’ Merrick Carreiro, will be aiming to implement the Island Nourish Network project, with the goal of reducing food and nutrition insecurity, preventing diet-related chronic conditions, and ultimately enhancing health and resilience across the community. Over the next three years, the mission of the Island Nourish Network project is to ensure Islanders in need of food and nutrition are referred to the appropriate resources and are empowered with tailored tools, education, and support.
Judy Jones, who is currently the clinical lead for Island Health Care’s primary-care providers, works closely with IHC’s chief clinical officer, chief quality officer, and behavioral health team. With her award, Jones is going to be pursuing her psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. This certification will allow her to manage more advanced and complex mental health conditions for those in need across the Island community. She also works remotely for an opioid treatment program, admitting patients to outpatient care for substance-use disorders.
Tim Persinko is going to create a documentary film, comprised of historical and oral testaments, detailing the immigration experience of the Brazilian community on Martha’s Vineyard. The film will document the stories of Brazilian community members’ journeys to the U.S. and why they chose to live on the Island, exploring themes of leaving and finding home, creating a community, and the aspirations that have made the Brazilian community such a large part of the Island’s culture.
Krystle Scheaffer, who served as a paramedic on-Island for more than 13 years, is the first in her family to attend college, and values being active in the Island community. Schaeffer is on the path to becoming a nurse practitioner, with aims to complete her bachelor of science in nursing through Southern New Hampshire University’s online program. Since she started at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital in 2009 as a unit coordinator, she climbed through various positions, including medical scribe manager, before working her way up to executive assistant to emergency medical services and emergency department medical director. Currently working 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 nurse for Island schools.
Matt Taylor will be continuing a project to create a series of short films documenting the rich tapestry of Island agriculture and the traditional, agriculturally based life practices that have been passed down through generations of Islanders and that continue to shape the community. Upon completion, Taylor’s films will be donated to the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society and the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. The new films will be the ninth of Taylor’s creations, with all previous films being available to view on Vimeo. Taylor’s new films will feature 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 was recently appointed oral history curator at Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and with support from Vision Fellowship will continue her professional training in oral history and documentary storytelling to preserve and celebrate Island history and culture accurately. Chief Curator Bonnie Stacy will facilitate training Indaia in the management of the museum’s oral history collection, preservation, and oral history best practices. Whitcombe 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.
The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship Scholar Awards recognize 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.
Shevaun Brown, who will be studying biochemistry at UMass Amherst in the fall, wants to deepen his understanding of how chemistry and biology intersect in the environment, so he can research new ways to address the constantly evolving threats to our environment. This year, Brown 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 is going to study biology, biochemistry, and psychology with the goal of utilizing technology and innovation to contribute suitable healthcare solutions that are both equitable and integrated into the community. He has worked on a smart pillbox project and is focusing on improving medication adherence in communities where patients struggle with access to prescriptions, follow-up care, and mental health support. Engler also interned in several areas in the medical field, is a three-sport varsity athlete (basketball, soccer, and baseball), and is 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 plans to study sociology and justice, and peace studies. Since her freshman year, MacMillan has participated in the MVRHS Career Technical Education program, focusing on the carpentry and building trades. She founded an independent project her senior year that focused on the affordability, sustainability, and accessibility of constructing a tiny house on a trailer, illustrating how serious housing issues have become on-Island. MacMillan 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; she also plays soccer.
Noah Manning is just finishing his freshman year at Cornell University, where he is studying the environment and sustainability. He wants to integrate scientific research with indigenous ecological knowledge, to develop solutions to environmental sustainability that pay respect to traditional practices and their historic success. Manning’s perspective is rooted in his experience growing up on-Island as an Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe member, helping to develop his sense of the delicate relationship between people and land.
Nyoka Walters plans to pursue a master’s in museum studies with a specialization in digital media. Her goal is to become a museum curator. Walters 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 also 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, Walters learned how different spaces can change the way people experience art and history.
Sam Gurney, who was awarded a two-year Vision Fellowship at high school graduation in 2023, has been awarded a second two-year Vision Fellowship for his junior and senior years at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he studies wildlife and fisheries science. Gurney has a deep affinity for the Island’s freshwater habitats, especially its up-Island rivers. He has interned with BiodiversityWorks for the past two summers, conducting fish surveys at ponds and streams across the Island to document current distribution and relevant abundance of fish species for the Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life project.
