Meet Bridgitte Cook, 46-year-old Heath Center Director at SSTAR Family Healthcare Center. Growing up, Bridgette’s life had been impacted by the effects of mental illness, with her mother committing suicide when she was 8 years old and a father who suffered from schizophrenia.

After graduating from high school, Bridgitte applied to the Diman School of Practical Nursing, as she knew she wanted to help those suffering from mental illness. Upon her completion, she began working at the Dartmouth House of Corrections, where she really saw how many people in prison were struggling with mental health issues and drug addiction, but ended up there because it was the only place for them.

Bridgitte also spent time working at Bridgewater State Correctional Facility as well, which pushed her to go back to school for her RN, so she could really help to service this demographic she held so dearly to her. She received her Associates Degree from Bristol Community College and Bachelor’s Degree from Curry College. Not shortly after, she took on the role of assistant clinic manager with SSTAR, where they focus on not only treating the patient’s mental state but providing a plethora of resources for them.

Bridgitte will be completing her Masters Nursing program this May and hopes to continue to be able to service the community, by empowering and helping those who suffer from mental illness and drug addiction.

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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 Monica Melo, 33-year-old owner and hairstylist of Salon Gigi. Monica was born in Portugal and moved to New Bedford with her parents when she was one. Growing up, she always had a passion for making people look and feel good.

When it came time for college she attended Bristol Community College, although she knew that she didn’t want to go to college. After a year of school, she dropped out and enrolled in LaBaron Hair Dressing school, where she knew she could pursue her passion. After graduating, she worked for a few years in a handful of salons before taking time off to be home with her newborn children.

Once her children were a little older, she knew she wanted to return to hairdressing but didn’t want to work for someone else. It was in 2014 that she open Salon Gigi, where she has been ever since. For her, it’s not about just doing her clients’ hair, but building a relationship with them and empowering them to be confident and love themselves.

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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 Heather Dextradeur, 45-year-old Assistant Director at Lifestream and Bridges-To-Faith Coordinator with Better Community Living. Heather got involved with working with the developmentally disabled community when she was 24-years-old, as a student at BCC.

Starting in direct care with Lifestream, she fell in love with her work and has never looked back. She would eventually move on to manage the home she was working in. When she took the position she thought that she would spend her time teaching life skills and things like that, but she has realized how much she has learned from them.

No only does she spend her days working to impact the lives of those developmentally disabled, but she goes home to foster 3 adults who need live-in assistance. She also works with Bridges-to-Faith to help those with mental disabilities to build and foster relationships, no matter the religion they decide to seek.

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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 Angelee Contreras, 33-year-old owner of Privy Boutique. Angelee grew up as a first generation citizen, with her father coming from Spain and her mom from Puerto Rico. Her parents always worked hard to provide for their children and taught them the importance of hard work ethics. This push Angelee to do well in school, and after high school, she went on to study Sports & Entertainment Management in Miami at Johnson and Wales University.

During her Christmas break that year her life was turned upside down, with the passing of her father. He had worked hard enough to help her through college, but with him gone, Angelee went back to school and took on 3 jobs to pay for all of her expenses, using the passing of her father to motivate her to give it her all. She finished up her Bachelor’s degree and moved back to be closer with family as she continued toward her Master’s Degree in Hospitality Sales and Marketing. Being involved in retail since the age of 16, after graduating she went on to work for companies like MadRag, Lacoste, and Wet Seal, where she held manager and director positions.

After having her children, she knew she couldn’t keep traveling so far for work and wanted to curate and sell fashion that she was passionate about. This drove her to leave her position with MadRags in 2017 to open Boutique Privy, a local shop focused on street contemporary fashion. She shops for the best quality material, which although carry a high price tag, ensure she’s selling quality apparel to her clients. Since opening, she has extended her lines to include men’s apparel but her major focus is empowering women. As a woman business owner, her hope is to inspire other women to chase their dreams and spread a message of positivity and love.

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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 John Masella, 38-year-old Attorney. John grew up in upstate New York and knew that he wanted to work in the justice system from a young age. After attending the State University of New York – Plattsburgh, he decided to attend Southern New England School of Law, now Umass Law school. While attending the school, John fell in love with New Bedford, as it was so diverse and rich with culture.

After graduating and taking his bar exam, he returned to New York, practicing law for a short while. Missing his time in New Bedford, he decided to pack all of his things into his car and headed back to the city he had fallen in love with, in hopes to use his newfound career to benefit the community. He quickly met Gerline Lowe, a prominent figure in the local justice system, and she got him introduced to the local court. John’s practice started in the hopes of helping the neediest of people. Working to help provide justice to those who didn’t have the means, John made it his mission to help provide legal counsel for those who would have otherwise not had a chance.

Since coming back to the system almost 10 years ago, he has done many things to benefit the community. He is a Drug Court Attorney, working with those involved in the Drug Court in their journey towards rehabilitation. John is also a member of the US Supreme court as well as the US First Circuit courts. John hopes to continue to serve the city and the Commonwealth, ensuring that justice is being upheld and preserved, for every group of people.

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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 Lana Collins, 21-year-old Student and Case Manager. Growing up, Lana witnessed those suffering from substance abuse and mental health issues within her family and this gave her the drive to help others.

After graduating from high school, Lana began studying at Rhode Island college, bouncing between different majors. It was during her sophomore year when she got a job working with individuals who had developmental disabilities. It was this line of work that made her declare herself as a psych major, focusing in on social work.

Since then, Lana has accepted a position as a Case Manager with Newport Mental health and is en route to graduate with her Bachelor’s Degree this Spring. Beyond her time at Rhode Island College, her hope is to continue to pursue her education and eventually obtain her Ph.D., so that she can open her own practice in the city. Her hope would be to help those families suffering due to addiction and mental health issues.

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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 Henry Bousquet, 42-year-old Lead Instructor of the Culinary Arts Program at Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech. Growing up, Henry’s mother suffered from Multiple Sclerosis, which put him in a position to help her around the kitchen, learning to cook from a very young age. When his mother passed away at the age of 10, Henry began to cook for his entire family, helping his father before he would get home before work.

It was only natural that Henry went to Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech School, where he studied in the Culinary Arts program. By his sophomore year, he was working at least 30 hours in local restaurants and worked full-time in kitchens upon graduation. Along with his work in various restaurants, he also attended BCC where he got his associates in communication. He was then enrolled in Bridgewater State, where he became a student in the Disney program and moved to Orlando where he cooked for a year.

After a year at Disney, he moved back home to take care of his sick grandparents. Moving back, he spoke with the late Chef Amaral, who pushed him to start substitute teaching in the culinary department. This turned into a full-time position for him once he was able to obtain his teaching certifications. He would eventually apply for and receive the job of Lead Instructor.

Alongside his work at New Bedford Voc-Tech, Henry has also worked tremendously in the Community. He was elected as a city councilman in 2011 for Ward 3 and held that position for 5 years. Due to an obscure state law, Henry wasn’t compensated for his work the last two and half years he was a councilman but continued to serve the people of New Bedford.

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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 Samie-Jo Prata, 28-year-old hairdresser. Growing up, Samie spent lots of time in salons, as her mother was a nail technician. This got her interested in the field of hairdressing and cosmetology but was advised against it from her parents, who felt she would make a better living if she went to college and got her degree.

After high school, Samie started her classes at Bristol Community College, but after a year, had to take time off due to the birth of her daughter. Samie began working, rather than returning to school and after being laid off from the grocery store she was working for, she knew she needed a change. She went to her parents and told them that she was going to pursue her desire to go to hairdressing school and enrolled in Toni & Guy.

Samie-Jo started working for Wash House in Fairhaven shortly after graduating from school and hasn’t looked back. She loves that not only does she work to make others feel beautiful, but has built a bond with her clients over the years, also being a shoulder for them to lean on when they are having an off day and come sit in her chair. Her time at the Wash House helped her find her way as a hairdresser, strengthening her and preparing her for her most recent venture. Samie is a renter at Beauty Union Salon in New Bedford, where although she is at the salon, works for herself. She loves that she gets to work in Downtown New Bedford, as it has been such an important location for her throughout her life.

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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 Jose Carrion, 44-year-old owner of Casual Entertainment and Travel Consultant. Jose grew up in the Bronx, New York, where he became involved in the music business at an early age. As an artist in the group Lethal Package, he produced a few albums and even toured up and down the East Coast.

As members of the group started getting older and focusing on other things, Jose relocated to New Bedford, where he immediately got to work. He began promoting local venues and started working with local acts, helping them get spots working for big-name acts. It was during this time that he made connections in Providence.

He is now a manager at a few Providence venues, such as The Strand, Studio Lounge, and Rosendale, where he manages tickets and VIP sales. He also works with World Ventures, helping others to be able to go on vacations within their budget. Jose runs Casual Entertainment as well, where he works with vendors and clients to provide staffing for restaurants and nightclubs, as well as wedding DJs and photographers.

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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 Marc Cordeira, a 42-year-old consultant and owner of Kraken Golf. Throughout his childhood, Marc was always creating something and involved in sports, mostly basketball. It wasn’t until after high school that he found golf, and immediately fell in love with the sport, play with friends at local courses.

Marc attained his bachelors in Computer Science and an MBA, which helped him get into the field of online marketing and e-commerce. With the vast amount of knowledge he has gained over the years, it was easy for him to create his brand, Kraken Golf. Having gotten into CNC machining in 2013, he quickly realized he could take his passion for golf to another level.

For many years, the sport has found itself to cater to a certain audience and Marc felt that golf was becoming less appealing to the newer generation. This is where Kraken golf was born, creating unique and cool ball markers, divot tools, and putters, appealing to a younger, more trendier generation. With only one year in business, he has been able to create a vast following and client base and hopes to continue to bring his two passions together to revitalize the sport of golf.

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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.