Faces of New Bedford

Meet Abdourahmane Doumbouya, 26 year old Senior Software Support Engineer and Musician from New Bedford. Abdourahmane, also known as Abdou, moved to the United States in the December of 1996 from Senegal, West Africa, after a quick stay in France. As a kid he always felt a barrier between himself …

Meet Ed Rodrigues, 62-year old retired teacher and basketball coach at New Bedford High School, who recently became the Athletic Director for Wareham High school. Ed grew up in the south end of New Bedford where there was a lot of negative temptations. Alongside his good friend, Brian Baptiste, who …

Happy New Year! Meet Roger Andrews, a 45-year-old commercial artist. Roger grew up in the city and came from a modest family, who lived in and out of some of the housing projects throughout the city. With moments to spare, during the summer after his eighth-grade year, he got into …

Meet John Biel, one of the many homeless on the streets of New Bedford. Without a place for him to live he struggles trying to find a job that will hire him. Most nights he has no idea where he is going to sleep, as he tries to do whatever …

Meet Ashley Bendiksen, a 29-year old, and the Executive Assistant to the Bristol County District Attorney. Ashley, who had spent a brief time in college after she graduated high school, became involved in an abusive relationship which forced her to leave school. Once she eventually freed herself from that relationship …

Meet Manuel Mederios, 64-year-old barber in New Bedford. Manuel and his family migrated to New Bedford when he was only 12 years old and has lived here ever since. When he first got his barber’s license he managed a barbershop on Union street for a few years before opening his …

Meet Lorenzo Vazquez, a case manager with Seven Hills Behavioral Health. He moved to New Bedford in 1997 to seek better opportunities for his family. He started his career in as an advocate at the Health Center back in 2000 when he saw the need in this city for people …

Meet Samantha Johnson, a 26 year-old singer. Samantha moved to New Bedford at the age of 12 from Dennis because her father took on new responsibilities at work, but she secretly thinks he did it because he wanted his family to be more cultured. As a full time singer, Samantha …

Meet Joshua Lemaire, 27-year-old chef and owner of dNB Burger. Having lived in the area his entire life, he was drawn by the charm of the city to the downtown area. After working in restaurants for 10 years and attending Le Cordon Bleu, his passion for cooking resulted in the …

Meet Kathy Plante, a 57-year-old Registered Nurse of 36 years and Professor at Bristol Community College. Kathy is not only a full-time faculty member at BCC, she is also a full-time wife, mother, and student at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, working towards her PhD in Nurse Research. For Kathy, there …