Meet Marcio Silva, 45-year-old Owner and Head Instructor at Xcel Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His father was a professional soccer player when he was young, so his family traveled alot but settled in New Bedford when he was 6. Throughout his childhood, he practiced Judo which led to him becoming high interested in staying active.

This interest led Marcio to the sport of cycling, which he ended up pursuing until the age of 21, even landing himself a spot on the Junior Olympic cycling team. He began working for his father’s construction company and not soon after his retirement from cycling, he started competing in professional paintball across the world for team Planet Eclipse. He also opened Eastside Paintball, which sold and serviced paintball equipment in several locations throughout the Southcoast.

After getting his son enrolled in Jui Jitsui classes, he decided to also start practicing the art as well. Quickly moving up the ranks, Marcio received his black belt in 5 years, a process that normally takes 10-15 years. By this point, Marcio had opened Xcel in New Bedford, as there were no high-level Jiu Jitsu schools in our area. Marcio has since won 2 world championships and even built a new build to house his growing school.

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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 Andrade, 32-year-old Program Supervisor at the Key Program, Inc. As a lifelong native of New Bedford, he recalls facing adversity as a youth being raised in public housing and coming from an immigrant family. Despite these challenges, Chris was thankful to have a strong supportive family who invested in his future and guided him away from the negative influences within his neighborhood.

In high school, he interned for PAACA as a peer mentor, working with troubled youth in efforts to engage them in positive outlets. After high school, Chris went away to UMass Amherst focusing on Legal Studies with hopes to eventually go on to Law school. Each summer, Chris returned home to work for the Greater New Bedford Youth Annex (New Directions) through the Career Center, assisting youth with attaining summer employment. After attaining his Bachelor’s Degree, he found that his passion lies within Human Services and opted out of pursuing Law school.

Chris continued his path in servicing others by obtaining a position as an Outreach Worker for a non-profit agency named the Key Program, Inc. where he worked to assist at-risk youth and families involved with the Department of Children and Families (DCF). From there, he worked his way up to the position of Program Supervisor and now oversees several community-based programs that focus on the development of positive life skills and experiences for youth and families so they may lead productive and rewarding lives. Even at the supervisory level, Chris has continued to carry a caseload of his own because he is passionate about helping others and creating a positive impact on the community.

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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 Sorrell Macaroco, 27-year-old instructor and owner at Stagelights Studio. Sorrell has been dancing since she was 5, which started as a way to correct her inward facing toes, as ballet is known to help that condition. Dance soon became a huge part of her life, as she was a natural and became an escape for her.

Sorrell competed throughout her childhood and began teaching at the age of 16. When she went away for college though, she focused on school and only danced on the school team. During her final year at Bridgewater, she realized that she only wanted to be a dance instructor, but in her own studio.

At the age of 25, she put together her business plan and opened Stagelight Studio in the city’s west end. She is passionate about teaching in New Bedford, as she wants to create an outlet for the youth, like those before her, sharing and spreading the passion she has for dancing. Since opening, she has been able to bring her team to regional competitions, winning several awards, even one recognizing her for creative choreography.

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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 Debra Kelsey, 51-year-old Community Health Worker and Recovery coach at Fishing Partnership Services. Deb, who was born and raised in New Bedford, has always been involved in the fishing community.

After spending 20 years in the printing industry, she started looking for a position that she felt she would make more of an impact in. That is when she found the job opening for at the Fishing Partnership Services. Fishing Partnership Services specializes in assisting the local fisherman by providing services such as safety training and assisting in purchasing their health insurance.

She has invested so much into the fishing community, understanding all of the issues and troubles fishermen face. Debra is so determined to help advocate for the fishermen and provide an outlet for those seeking help with substance abuse issues. With the type of work fishermen do, it’s easier for them to get badly injured and prescribed opioids to help their pain. This often ends in addiction, but Debra has been there as a recovery coach stepping in and helping them clean up their problems.

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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 Megan Abdullahi, 35-year-old center manager at CleanSlate. Megan grew up on Cape Cod and after schooling immediately went into work in human services, as it has always been in her nature to help. She started working at group homes and after some time, she started managing them.

Megan moved to New Bedford and instantly fell in love with everything it has to offer, from the culture to the history. When she saw an open position for the Center Manager position at CleanSlate, a medication-assisted outpatient facility for those suffering from substance abuse issues, she knew she wanted to make a change in her career. Having dealt with family members who have had issues with drugs and alcohol, she knew that it was a position that would be more than a job.

Since her start at CleanSlate, she has heavily involved herself in the fight against opioids in the city. Although CleanSlate offers alternatives for those addicted, such as Suboxone and Vivitrol, her job doesn’t stop there. She and her staff work with their clients to get them to a life free of drugs, offering counseling services and connecting them to services that also assist. Along with her position at CleanSlate, she is also a member of the New Bedford Opioid Task Force, joining with other members of the community, comprised of police officers, social workers, and religious leaders, who make home visits to recent victims of drug overdoses in an attempt to get them on the path to recovery.

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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 Maciel Pais, 37-year-old teacher at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School. Growing up and attending GNBVT High School, he never knew that he would end up back there teaching. During his junior year at the school, he was offered a position teaching potential incoming students during the school’s annual exploratory program.

After graduating from GNBVT, he went on to get his bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from New England Institute of Technology, all while working at the high school in their technology department and teaching in the adult education program. In his final year of college, a teaching position was posted and he then applied for the position teaching in the shop he graduated from.

Since then, Maciel has dedicated his life to his students and the school, hoping to make a lasting impact on each of the students he encounters. Along this road, he has gained his Master’s degree in Education Leadership and Management, as well as a slew of other certifications, in hopes to be able to serve students in a greater capacity than he is now.

Maciel is also the schools Business Professionals of America Chapter Advisor and has helped students in the club foster a sense of professionalism and work ethic, that will last well beyond their time at the school.

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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 Kevin Rose Jr, 35-year-old owner of Kaisan Trucking and Unplugged Float Essentials. Kevin grew up playing saxophone for the entirety of his childhood and teenage years. After graduating from New Bedford High School, he attended the Berklee School of Music for a few years before leaving college early, to help his family run a moving business.

While working for his family’s company, he kindled his passion for Mixed Martial Arts by joining SBG East Coast in Wareham, where he began specializing in Muay Thai Kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu. Kevin soon realized that he wanted to start his own trucking company and created Kaisan Trucking in 2015. He was also now coaching students at SBG, while trying to get his trucking company started.

If all of that wasn’t enough, Kevin decided he wanted to venture in the “sensory-deprivation float tank” business. After experiencing float therapy in 2013, a form of repair and destress from his busy lifestyle, he knew that it was something that needed a home in the Southcoast, as the closest center is in Boston. After going through the Southcoast EForAll course, he was able to gain branding and marketing knowledge, helping him launch the first phase of his company called Unplugged Float Essentials, which is a line of Epson-based salt baths, infused with essential oils and water-soluble hemp, which help the body recover when soaking in it. He is passionate about owning small businesses in the city, as his family has tons of history here and he hopes to be able to add to their lasting legacy.

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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 Sandra Orr, 27-year-old Licensed Massage Therapist and E-RYT Yoga teacher. Growing up, Sandra had always been involved in dancing, even competing all throughout her childhood. As she got older, she started practicing yoga to help with the injuries sustained from her years dancing.

Eventually, Sandra went on to school at MassArt, where after switching majors a few times, settled into the sculpture program. After graduating, she immediately started school at Kripalu, where she became a certified yoga instructor and certified in Lotus Palm Thai Massage. While beginning to teach yoga and practice as a Thai Massage therapist, she then went on to the Bancroft School of Massage Therapy, where she became a licensed massage therapist.

Sandra now owns her own practice, while still teaching yoga at several studios, where she performs massage and Myofascial Release, which is a practice used to help release anything our Myofasical system might be holding in that is negatively affecting us. She is so pleased to be able to do this work in the area she was raised in because she wants to be able to help others in the ways that her practices have helped her.

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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 Amanda Desrosiers, the 29-year-old founder, and owner of People’s Pressed. When Amanda was in high school she considered herself overweight and when she moved out of the house to go to college in Boston, she began focusing on how she ate and getting active. This journey not only led her into a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design but a passion for rock climbing.

While traveling and rock climbing across the country, she encountered several juice bars, something that she didn’t use to back here in New Bedford. She had been making juices at home, but it was on her journeys that she discovered the cold press method, where no heat or air is used to pull the juices from the fruits and vegetables. This process keeps the most amounts of nutrients and enzymes in the juice, making it healthier than other processes.

The process interested her and she decided that she wanted to open her own Juice Bar in New Bedford. While still working a full-time job, Amanda joined the Southcoast E-For-All to become educated on starting and running a business, where she worked with a mentor from the community and her cohorts in developing and executing their business plans. In Spring of 2018, she opened People’s Pressed, a juice bar and wellness hub in downtown New Bedford. Her hope is to be able to cultivate a community of people focused on eating and living clean, healthy lives.

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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 Gary Moujabber, 29-year-old general manager of The Lebanese Kitchen. When Gary was born, his parents had already established their family restaurant, The Lebanese Kitchen, in the city’s west end. His parent’s migrated here from Lebanon in the late 70s/early 80s and as far as he could remember he had always helped in the restaurant.

Gary continued to work at the restaurant throughout high school and college, doing whatever he could to help his parents, whether he waited tables or helped washing dishes. On July 11, 2014, his family’s life was shaken, as their apartment building, which was also home to their restaurant, was lost to a fire.

In the aftermath, the family was overwhelmed with the community support they received. It was clear to Gary, and his family, how much the restaurant and their family meant to the city and they began working towards reopening. In 2016, they acquired the old Mattapoisett Chowder House property on Rt. 6 and knew that this would be the fresh start they needed. Gary assumed the role of General Manager during their reopening and hopes to carry on the legacy his parents have set before him.

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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.