Faces of New Bedford

Meet Joseph “The Beardfather” Arruda, a 36-year-old direct support residential staff, founder of Beards of New Bedford, and President of the South Coast Beard and Mustache Guild. He also helps his wife run the gallery that she co-owns, TL6 the Gallery, which is located on William Street in downtown New …

Meet Jonna Algarin-Mojica, a 22-year-old IT Specialist with the National Guard. After joining the military at the age of 19, he has had several contracts where he has worked with computer systems throughout the state of Massachusetts. Towards the end of 2014, he was laid off, due to a lapse …

Meet Shanna Sears, a 28-year-old painter and residential remodeler. Shanna grew up in New Bedford and at the age of 15 she emancipated herself due to family issues and finished her high school career living with a friend’s family. At the age of 22 she moved away to San Deigo, …

Meet Clyde, the peace-sign waving local that anyone from New Bedford can recognize. A known staple to the city’s north end, Clyde is always greeting cars and foot traffic as they pass by the corner of Acushnet and Coffin Avenues. In a brief conversation with Clyde you can tell that …

Meet Giovanni Willet, a 21-year-old cook and art student. He spent most of his childhood traveling due to his parents’ careers, never staying in one place for more than a month. At the age of 9, they settled in New Bedford, which is why the city means so much to …

Meet Nicole Corkum, a 27 year-old jewelry maker and thrift store owner. Having lived here her entire life, she has seen several business grow into something out of nothing in the downtown area. That was, in part, her inspiration to starting New Bedford Negotiables, a thrift store located in the …

Meet Clinton “CJ” Cassidy Dunston Jr., an 11 year-old student at Keith Junior High School. Cj’s favorite subject in school is math and hopes to one day become an engineer. Although he loves math, he would also one day love to play in the MLB or NBA. He currently plays …

Meet Lindsey Rocha, a 26 year-old senior program manager and coordinator with the New Bedford Health Department. Growing up she faced tons of adversity, living in and out of foster care while coping with her family’s battles with addiction. These traumatic experiences could have led her down a dark path …

Meet Ben Gilbarg, a 37 year-old Videographer and Adjunct Professor at Bristol Community College. As the owner of Visionary Communications Consultants LCC his hope is to produce dynamic video content. These videos are produced with the intention of making an impact to the social current of our culture. He also …

Meet Andrew Kepinski, a 36-year old bartender and photographer who lives in Downtown New Bedford. Growing up between Westport and New Bedford, he got to experience the best of both worlds. Not only did he get to experience the peacefulness of Westport but also the culture and diversity of the …