Faces of New Bedford

Meet Jeff Costa, 47-year-old fitness and yoga instructor. Jeff grew up in the area and after graduating from high school, he moved to Boston where he attended Boston University and majored in English/French Literature. While living in Boston, Jeff began personal training and dancing, as his lifelong love for music …

Meet Amy Moreira, 29-year-old Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Amy was raised in a Portuguese family, that immigrated to New Bedford in search for a better quality of life. She witnessed many of the issues in the community, which shaped who she became as a person. During high school, she started …

Meet Jennifer Potter, 34-year-old business analyst, mobile app project manager and founder of SouthCoast Mamas & Babies. After giving birth to her and her husband’s daughter, Jennifer had a desire to get to know other mothers. She wanted to have like-minded families around her and thought it would be beneficial …

Meet Nick Correia, 36-year-old construction worker and conditioning trainer. Growing up, Nick’s uncle was the head coach for the basketball team at New Bedford High School, so he spent plenty of time at the games. At the first game he attended, he saw Mike Herren play against his uncle’s team …

Meet Kibira NJoroge, 29-year-old Personal Trainer and aspiring professional bodybuilder. Kibira has always been involved in some sort of activity, whether it was going outside as a kid or playing basketball in high school. After graduating from Voc-Tech in 2006, he went to BCC, where he majored in Graphic Design. …

Meet Jesenia Navedo, 29-year-old Hospice nurse. Growing up, Jesenia had always pictured herself becoming a doctor. This idea became a reality when she saw her mother give birth to her youngest sister. She began a pre-med Biology program at UMass Amherst and shortly realized that she didn’t want to be …

Meet Dr. Reverend Kenn Bongiorno, 51-year-old Pastor and Professor. Kenn didn’t grow up in a spiritual home or one that attended church. At 19-years old he spent three weeks with his grandfather in the hospital during his grandfather’s last days alive. With a lot of emotions running through him, he …

Meet Erin Poyant, 32-year-old Yoga Instructor and Intensive Care Coordinator. Her entire life, Erin has been drawn to working with kids and being involved in physical activities. Her first job was lifeguarding at Cathedral Camp, teaching swimming lessons, which is where she fell in love with teaching. These different facets …

Meet A.J. Tavares, a 30-year-old teacher, basketball coach, and owner of A1 Skills, Development and Training. A.J. started playing basketball at a very young age, falling in love with sports at the Boys and Girls Club. He played sports throughout school, playing varsity football, basketball, and baseball his senior year. …