AMHERST – Amherst resident and community activist Rossana Salazar was the recipient of a Latino Excellence Award during a virtual ceremony on Oct. 13. Salazar was nominated for the award by Representative Mindy Domb.

According to a press release from Domb’s office, “the Latino Excellence Awards event is hosted annually by the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus ‘to commemorate Latino community leaders, trailblazers and changemakers that are moving the needle forward in cities and towns across the state.’”

Salazar is the Community Engagement and Evaluation Specialist for the Hungry Hampshire initiative, which is hosted at the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) in Northampton.

According to its website, Healthy Hampshire is designed to “reduce rates of chronic disease in its partner communities by effecting changes to policies and systems that encourage physical activity, healthy food access, improved patient care and linkages between healthcare systems and community-level prevention activities.”

Domb applauded Salazar’s work she has done for the Hispanic community in Amherst.

“Rossana has worked with the Latinx community to advance food justice in the town of Amherst. In partnership with Family Outreach of Amherst, and in her capacity with Healthy Hampshire, she facilitated community conversations and activities around how to increase food security and access. These efforts have led to the development of the bicultural bilingual community-led Amherst Mobile Market and the Fort River Community Garden. She continues to provide direct support to these projects and the community,” Domb said.

Salazar, who is a registered nurse, worked as a nursing professor in her native Peru before moving to Amherst and raising her two sons in town. In addition to her work with Healthy Hampshire, she has also remained dedicated to her studies, earning a Master of Public Health in Community Health Education and a graduate certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in Environmental Conservation working with indigenous Latin American countries.

“First, being part of the Collaborative for Educational Services team is a pride, working with this human team and creating wellness opportunities for the community inspires me at every moment. I am working doing community engagement and evaluation and I feel part of a gear that is giving way to a new model where we all feel included and where the community sits at the same decision table, where they talk about their unmet needs and how they want this process to look,” she said.

Salazar also detailed her favorite part of the work she does.

“The interaction with the families, with the community, creating true relationships, favoring capacity building, equalizing power and creating spaces for inclusion; all of this is done through playgroups, programs like “Hola Amiges, Amigas, Amigos,” “Positive Solutions” all in Spanish. Research and evaluation, giving me the opportunity to learn from many communities that are strengthening relationships between the Community and the Foundations; and with Healthy Families and Community, SPPYFY and Healthy Hampshire creating new opportunities for healthy living through different projects such as the Food Policy Council, Amherst Mobile Market, Community Gardens, Redesigning Power Structures, Youth Programs. We do all this with a large working group whose first thought is justice and equity and where each one has a gift that is an essential part of the puzzle.”

Domb explained her nomination of Salazar for the award and said it was because of the work she does in her community.

“There are so many wonderful constituents to select from. But this year, I wanted to recognize the essential community work that builds strong communities, and in this case responds to food insecurity with programs shaped and led by community members. This is the excellence that Rossana shares with our district … With her focus on community collaboration and decision-making to increase access to healthy food, Rossana’s work makes our community stronger. It is an honor to nominate her for her commitment, her work and her immense contribution,” she said.

Salazar said she accepted her award with open arms and appreciation.

“I receive this recognition with great responsibility and gratitude. I wanted to say, Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Thank you to the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus for making this award possible. Thank you to state Rep. Mindy Domb for thinking of me for such an honor. Thank you for being everywhere, accompanying us and following up on the projects, and strongly supporting them when they need to be strengthened. Thank you to CES for giving me the opportunity to work on these beautiful projects and all the support I receive from all these extraordinary people who make up the CES team and to the great community, especially Latinx, who inspire me all the time and whom I respect a lot. I also want to thank Amherst Public Schools and the Center for Women and Community at UMass Amherst for being a part of my learning and professional growth and for bringing me closer to the community,” she said.