GREENFIELD — Two students, among nine applicants, were selected to receive Wally and Juanita Nelson Scholarships from the Traprock Center for Peace & Justice.

“We are delighted that Venesha Odhoch and Rizwana Khan can share the annual $1,000 scholarship this year,” Traprock board member Pat Hynes said in a statement. “They each describe important work and goals contributing to peace and social justice.”

For more than a decade, Traprock has awarded scholarships to Greenfield Community College students who demonstrate a commitment to peace and social justice. The scholarship program was founded by professor Abbie Jenks to honor the late area activists Wally and Juanita Nelson.

Juanita and Wally Nelson chose to be off-the-grid subsistence farmers after decades of urban life. They moved to Deerfield in 1974 and helped found the Greenfield Farmers Market. They’re shown here in September of 1996 at the booth where they sold organic produce.
Juanita and Wally Nelson, pictured in September 1996. A scholarship named after the Nelsons is given to Greenfield Community College students who demonstrate a commitment to peace and social justice.  Credit: PHOTO BY GEOFF BLUH

In her application essay, Odhoch wrote that she “grew up in a third-world country where access to health care, food and education was limited, and where inequality was not theoretical but lived daily. Peace, in that context, was not simply the absence of conflict and the presence of dignity, care and opportunity. Witnessing these disparities instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility to work toward a more just and compassionate world.”

Odhoch “aspires to become a nurse practitioner and to serve both locally and in Kenya, where health care access remains deeply limited.” Her goal “is not only to provide clinical care, but to participate in sustainable, community-based solutions that promote health, education and dignity.”

Khan contributes to social justice by helping build inclusive spaces in Amherst for the young, veterans and LGBTQ community members. By bringing together people with different histories, Khan aims to foster opportunities for dialogue, understanding and shared problem-solving, ensuring empathy is translated into meaningful action.

“Through this work,” she wrote, “I engage with both the emotional and structural dimensions of social justice, and support initiatives that acknowledge and address historical harms, facilitate community discussions on equity and advocate for policies that promote inclusion.”

For more information on the annual scholarship program, visit traprock.org/programs/awards-scholarships/nelson-scholarships.