Meet Justine Santos, 36-year-old Assistant Principal at Congdon Elementary School. Justine was born and raised in New Bedford and after graduating high school, she went on to further her education at Temple University. She eventually transferred to UMass Dartmouth to be closer to home, where she finished her degree in english.

She immediately went back for her Master’s in education and began teaching English to students at Normandin Middle School in grades six through eight. During her time at Normandin, she became passionate about her job and pouring into each and every one of her students. The principal of Normandin, Stephen Farrell asked her to intern in the aspiring administrator/apprentice program, as she was in the doctorate program at UMass and he saw her drive and care for her students.

This program allowed for her to secure her admin license and be eligible for the position of Assistant Principal at Congdon elementary school. In this new position, she was able to take the passion she had not only for her students, but the city as a whole. Being the granddaughter of activist Ben Rose Sr., she’s always felt a calling on her life to do more for the city

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Meet Vernon Miles, 38-year-old Area Sales Manager for Caliber Home Loans.

Vernon originally grew up in Central Massachusetts, but moved out to the area for school. He ended up getting into banking as a teller for Fleet bank. He quickly moved up through the bank and got involved with business banking.

After being swindled during the purchase of his first home, he decided to learn more about mortgages, leading him into the lender business. He began working as a broker and after getting married, ventured into the business full-time. Vernon took his own personal experience and used that as the catalyst of helping educate people on home ownership, so they wouldn’t make the same mistake that he had in the past.

After some time in the business, he was able to rise out of the recession in 2008, successfully growing the business he was working for and helping countless local families securely buy homes. Vernon also volunteers on several boards, including United Way and Junior Achievement. He has helped run the Titan Challenge at Umass Dartmouth with Junior Acheivement, which helps high school sophomores win scholarship money by teaching them how to run businesses with a simulated game.

Recent, Vernon has taken the role of Area Sales Manager of Caliber Home Loans, the second-largest mortgage servicer in the country. He is excited as this company, which is new to the area, is going to open up access to all new loan programs to current and potential local home owners, not previously offered by any other company.

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Meet Justin Coelho, 36-year-old Registered Nurse and Owner of Crossfit Dartmouth.

Justin had always loved and played sports and upon graduating high school, he went to St. Anselm College where he studied Biology to become a doctor and play football. Upon completion of his degree, he realized quickly that he didn’t want to spend another decade in school studying and pursued an education in nursing at Brockton Hospital’s School of Nursing.

Due to the need to gain weight and muscle to play collegiate football, Justin left St. Anselm weighing over 100 pounds more than he did when he entered as a freshman. Following Nursing school while working at Brockton Hospital, he started training at a CrossFit Affiliate, which helped him focus in on a healthy lifestyle and lose the weight he gained while playing Division II College football. Justin eventually left Brockton Hospital and worked for St. Lukes hospital in the ER, Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Critical Care Unit for a few more years.

Towards the end of his time in nursing, Justin volunteered in the medical tent at the Reebok Crossfit Games, where he met the Director of Sales and Marketing of Fitness. They hit it off and Justin was offered a position to work for the Global Fitness brand. He began to immerse himself in the world of Crossfit even more through his new position, visiting Crossfit gyms across the region, learning the intricacies of running a successful CrossFit Affiliate. This experience guided him when he decided to open his own gym in the area, as there wasn’t one in his home town at the time.

Since opening in 2012, Crossfit Dartmouth has serviced the community in more ways than one. Justin has been able to help countless clients focus on a healthy lifestyle, while providing expertise in nutrition and functional fitness. Unlike going to other gyms where the routine gets boring and monotonous, CrossFit is fun and remains fun as it is constantly varied and different everyday. What Justin, and most CrossFitters, enjoy about CrossFit is that it combines multiple fitness modalities into different daily workouts that are executed at high intensity.

He enjoys what he does because as a nurse, he felt like he was treating those who were already sick and with CrossFit, he is able to help people focus on their health and wellness through fitness and nutrition and prevent diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. He has even seen numerous clients able to come off their blood pressure medicine, cholesterol meds and lower their blood sugar through routine workouts and his team’s nutrition counseling. He also has spearheaded several philanthropic efforts through the gym, like a dodgeball tournament held to raise money and awareness for the non-profit 21 FrienDS, which aids and assists those with Down Syndrome CrossFit Dartmouth has yearly Thanksgiving donations to the Veterans Transition Home of New Bedford and yearly collections of gifts during the holiday season for local less fortunate families.

Justin’s passion for fitness is seen daily at CrossFit Dartmouth. Justin not only coaches the morning CrossFit classes, he also trains local sports teams and athletes. He has personal training clients of all ages including clients preparing for military bootcamp, police academies, college athletes during preseason as well as working professionals looking to stay fit and retired adults trying to stay functional during their later years of life. When not coaching or training clients, you can find Justin taking one of his scheduled classes right along side his members.

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Meet Caroline Paradis, 39-year-old Reiki Practitioner and Meditation instructor.

Caroline grew up in South Carolina but moved up to the area to potentially move to Boston or Providence for work, but fell in love with New Bedford and decided to stay in the area. She got into working with nonprofits by working at Rotch-Jones Duff House and from there became the Director of PR and Marketing for United Way.

After several years of working with United Way, she became the President of Junior Achievement. She truly loved the mission of the program, but during that time in her life she felt that things were off balance between work and life. During that time, she had gone for a few Reiki sessions and, after a weekend retreat at Kripalu Yoga Center, she began seeking out meditation. It was her meditation practice that pushed her to become certified in Reiki.

Reiki is the practice of balancing one’s own energy, as we are all energetic beings. The belief is that, over time, our body’s energy gets out of balance and Reiki practitioners are able to help channel universal energy to help establish equilibrium in the body.

After earning her Reiki certification, Caroline made the jump from her nonprofit career to become a full-time Reiki practitioner and guided meditation facilitator. She is such a large advocate for Reiki and meditation because with the current state of affairs, people are feeling more stress and anxiety than ever, and her hope is to help alleviate that stress. This has even pushed her to hold a weekly lunchtime guided meditation in downtown New Bedford, so that those who work in the area can use that time to re-align and center themselves before returning to the stresses of the day. “Meditation isn’t about shutting your mind off, it’s about how you deal with your thoughts.”

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Meet Bernadette Souza, 50-year-old executive director of Youth Opportunities Unlimited. Bernadette grew up in the south end of New Bedford in Bay village during the 1970s.

She is thankful for the people who took her under their wing and her church, Our Lady of the Assumption, because it was those groups of people that kept her on that narrow road. After graduating from high school, she attended two years Rhode Island College before returning to New Bedford. She received her certification in Youth Ministry Studies from The Diocese of Worcester and Assumption College.

Through her experience with working with the youth in her church as a Confirmation teacher, she then was compelled to apply for the open position as assistant director at the Boys and Girls Club, working under the guidance of Robert Mendes. During her time at the Boys and Girls Club, she knows that she was able to impact generations of children that went through the program. Bernadette was driven by the idea that we have the ability to empower others and used her career to do that.

In 2012, 15 years after starting with the Boys and Girls Club, Bernadette moved onto a new project, working with a chapter of a national .organization called Trips for kids. The organization uses biking as a tool to help the youth learn and understand the city and environment around them. In 2015, the organization wanted to brand itself independently and became Youth Opportunities Unlimited. Their mission is to foster youth development in the Greater New Bedford Community. They provide experiences that instill confidence and basic skills for lifelong safe, educational adventures.

They believe that youth represent untapped potential, and the key to realizing this potential is responding to their natural curiosity around them. Their playground is wherever their bikes and imaginations can take them. They create opportunities that respond to youth interest. The youth participate in experiences ranging from learning to cook, Bicycle maintenance and repair, stewards of a local community garden, as well as a summer program that offers one-week sessions for children to explore the south end peninsula on bike, while swimming, snorkeling, engaging in sports, and enjoying last experiences with their friends. They are a small non-profit making a big impact on the lives of New Bedford.

“Whenever you are in the presence of children, leave them with something.”

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Meet Chris Resendes, 40-year-old Court Services Coordinator, Co-Owner of Guns of Mass, and host of the Chis Resendes show.

Upon graduating from high school, Chris joined the Air Force and during his time in the air force he also worked for the sheriff’s department as a correctional officer from 1998 until 2001.

Chris began his career as a Court Services Coordinator after his time working for the sheriff in 2001. In this position he works for an alternative sentencing program, which was started in 1998, placing those on probation and parole in various community service projects throughout Bristol County. He loves this position, as he is able to help in the rehabilitation of those trying to piece their life together after their trials.

In 2015, Chris has started up Guns of Mass, an online classified site for responsible, law-abiding gun owners to sell and trade firearms, advocate for gun rights, and network. Amidst the political climate, he feels it is important to protect the rights of gun owners who are upstanding citizens just intending to protect themselves and their families.

Most recently, he has partnered with the New Bedford Guide, hosting his own weekly show which discusses politics, different hardships that face our community, highlights the great things that are happening in New Bedford, while speaking with those making an impact in the community. Hopes to educate the community on politics while trying to help people through the people he brings onto the show.

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Meet Joe Neves, 54-year-old Associate Director of Dennison Memorial Community Center.

Joe grew up in Austin, Texas due to his father’s, a New Bedford native, Air Force commitments in Texas. During his time at the University of Texas Austin, he traveled to Massachusetts to work as a beach worker at Horseneck beach for the summer. Because Joe was an out of state employee, he got bumped off the list and with the help of his cousin, ended up working as a counselor at Camp Massasoit.

Originally an accounting major, he had no desire to work with children, but that changed during the summer he was at Camp Massasoit. Joe returned to Texas to finish up his last year in school and moved back to New Bedford to pursue a career in childcare. He quickly rose the ranks working for the YMCA and YWCA, before landing the position of Daycare Program Director for Dennison Memorial’s daycare program.

Dennison Memorial is located in the south end of New Bedford and offers two programs. A free walk in program, where kids in the city can go after school to stay off the streets and get involved in sports, academic tutoring, work on their homework, and be in a safe haven from crime and violence they could be involved in on the street. It also offers a daycare through PACE for parents who are in school, training, or receiving subsidized daycare through the state.

Joe hopes that during his time at the community center that he has been able to push kids to strive above their situations. Leading by example, he wants to show the kids that visit the center daily that no matter your background, race, education, or circumstances, that you can rise and beat the odds in life.

“Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, You are right.” – Henry Ford

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Meet Manny DeBrito, 42-year-old Head of Election Commission and co-founder of A’s b4 J’s.

Manny grew up in the city and graduated from Bishop Stang in 1992. He then attended Bridgewater State and received his bachelor’s degree in Management Science in 2000. Manny worked for several financial firms in Boston for many years, while balancing his commitments to the youth in New Bedford for over a decade.

He coaches basketball for the Mt. Carmel program and works with 4-6 teams there per year. His passion for the sport pushed him and his co-founder, Frank Barros Jr., to start A’s b4 J’s, which helped the youth become focused on their grades before they worried about basketball. Through this company, they sold t-shirts which profits went to create scholarships for the students who play basketball.

This company then grew into the non-profit A’s B4, that stands for Achievements by 4 which focuses on holistic development, peer mentoring, community involvement & youth empowerment. They are working in collaboration with Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School with a mentoring program. The idea behind A’s B4 is to create mentors out of upperclassmen, that can be linked together with an incoming freshman, helping their transition into high school.

Manny has also recently become the Head of the Election Commision in New Bedford. His love for the city brought him to a career where he can make a tangible difference in the city, allowing for a fair election process.

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Meet Jen Blum, 40-year-old esthetician and founder of the Help Save Foundation.

Jen, like many women today, was trapped in an abusive relationship for 13 years and nobody had any idea. After mustering the courage, she planned an escape and took her two sons with her. After an unsuccessful attempt at getting the police to listen to her story, she finally got them to investigate.

Jen knew that in the wake of the events she had just endured, that she wanted to help other women who might be in the same situation she had found herself in. This sparked the creation of the Help Save Foundation, a local non-profit, which is focused on helping those stuck in abusive relationships become free and safe, while aiding them in rebuilding their lives.

Along with the efforts in aiding these women in removing themselves and their children from these situations, Jen focuses on helping women in shelters who’ve suffered as well. In the last year, she and her team have put on several projects, such as Project You’re Beautiful. The focus was to compile handbags to give to women in shelters who’ve fled domestic abuse and were left with nothing, filled with all of the necessities a woman might need. They were successful in getting over a three hundred handbags to women in shelters throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Her hope is that by showing other women where she was in the midst of her abusive situation and where she is now, that they too can find life after domestic violence.

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Meet Sara Achorn, 18-year-old student and Miss New Bedford.

Sara has always been involved in music and singing, starting as early as she can remember. As a teenager, she started training vocally with the mother of Jillian Zucco, the 2016 Miss New Bedford, and was introduced to Jillian at that time. Her mentorship helped drove Sara into considering competing and being involved in the Miss New Bedford pageant.

This September, during her second attempt at becoming Miss New Bedford, Sara won. While juggling work, a transition to a new school in Boston, and preparing for the pageant, she made it happen. Her platform is body positivity and feels it is important to educate men and women on how they can be comfortable in their skin, no matter their shape, color, or size.

Sara really wants to stay active in the community while juggling her full-time school schedule and representing such a high honor. Working with the Boys and Girls club and YMCA, she hopes to set up therapy and activities for kids who might be dealing with body image crisis.

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.