New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Meet Manuela Rosa, 39-year-old Program Director at the LifeWork Project.
Manuela moved to the United States at the age of 14 from Cape Verde. She grew up in housing projects with a single mother who worked hard to make a way for her in this country. She graduated from New Bedford High School and after time at BCC and UMass Dartmouth, she received her Bachelors Degree in Sociology with a concentration in Social Work.
Manuela soon began working for the state with the adult population. She assisted them in getting employment and providing stability for their families. With the encouragement of her mentor, Maria Grace, she ended up leaving her employment with the state and helping running the 3-year pilot program through the Women’s Fund of Southeastern, MA, the LifeWork Project.
With the LifeWork Project, Manuela helps students who are newly enrolled at Bristol Community College who are single mothers or heads of house hold. Having grown up in similar environments she enjoys that the program’s focus is to create self sufficiency in the women’s life and she couldn’t see herself doing anything else for work. Since coming to New Bedford from Cape Verde she has felt that there is no other place she could call home and want to give back to than here.
“Sometimes people just need a little help in order for them to recognize their potential.”
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
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