Meet Taylor Gordon, 18-year-old student and advocate.

Taylor grew up with many challenging obstacles. She had single mother who worked hard to provide during times where her biological father had been absent in and out of prison and battling with substance abuse and many issues from his own past. After being adopted by her mothers husband, she was given a second chance at having a father who loved Taylor as his own. However, she always longed for the missing puzzle piece her biological left. From a very early age Taylor knew why her biological father wasn’t around and notes that it is what made her the strong, young woman she is today. As a young child she was diagnosed with many medical conditions,!such as Celiac Disease, Hashimoto’s Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Lupus. Despite everything stacked against her, she always pushed through it with a smile on her face.

As she got older, her mother and father had given her the option to get to know her biological father, who was clean and trying to better his life. A month before meeting, he relapsed and that chance for her slipped away. A few years later though, he reached out to Taylor on social media, telling her that he wanted to be a father to her. With her strong faith, and help from her supports, she finally gave him the chance. Taylor knew that she didn’t want to live her life with the regret of never getting to know the man who made her who she is today, and make the decision to build a relationship. Taking care of her parent wasn’t what she had in mind, but she knew from her heart that she was going to love him back to life, despite how hard this can be. He had wonderful moments where he was living clean and everything seemed great until she faced the hard reality, he had relapsed again.

Although growing up with a parent who wrestled with addiction, this was the first time she had dealt with the hurt and disappointment that comes with it. Having faced all she has in life, she isn’t allowing this to stop her positive outlook. Taylor is a big example of resiliency, and knew that each time she fell down she got back up even stronger. Rather than be held back, Taylor wants to use her experience to help other youth in the community that are in the same position as her. She also wants for others to know that it’s possible to get back up. She is pursuing a degree in social work so she can do just that. Growing up she felt that she didn’t have someone she could go to who would understand her situation, so she wants to be that for other kids throughout our city.

“Narcan is great and can save someone’s life, but it don’t forget the families and children who carry this weight, and that is where I want to help. Don’t forget to thank people for the good, and the bad, because it’s what makes you who you are”

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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 Jon Mitchell, 48-year-old mayor of New Bedford.

The city of New Bedford is dear to Jon, as he grew up in a fishing family. After graduating from high school, he attended Harvard University, which he paid for with financial aid and working summers when he was back home. Jon graduated Harvard with an economics degree and moved to Washington, D.C. where he attended law school at George Washington University.

Upon graduation, Mitchell began working for the United States Department of Justice as one of the youngest federal prosecutors. With this experience, he moved back to Massachusetts and worked with the Attorney General and a prestigious law firm in Boston.

Jon Mitchell’s goal since arriving in office in 2012 has been to reclaim New Bedford’s position as a leading city in the Northeast. One of his biggest projects at the moment is the Blue Lane project, using the cove walks and future projects to create a path along the entire coast of New Bedford for recreation.

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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

Meet Hugh Dunn, 31-year-old Director of Economic Development and City councilor.

Hugh, born in Worcester MA, is 4th generation Irish with ancestry rooted in the whaling industry in Ireland. Prior to pursuing a degree in Political Science, Hugh worked at a freezer warehouse that caused him to become ill and poised him in the middle of a class action lawsuit. It was his encounter with how the law highlighted the fight for justice in his case that was a catalyst for him to pursue a political science and eventual degree in law.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from American International College in Springfield, he moved to New Bedford, where he attended UMass Law. He felt at home in New Bedford, living in the downtown historic district. He had also studied and learned to speak Portuguese while volunteering in Brazil – and was immediately excited to live in a Portuguese speaking city.While in school he worked for congressman Keating and after taking the bar, became a full-time on his New Bedford District Staff. Hugh would often sit in on meetings that the congressman couldn’t attend, including the meetings of the SouthCoast Development Partnership – which he now directs.

The Southcoast Development Partnership works to improve the quality of life for this region. Two of it’s major projects right now include the Southcoast Rail system and building cross border collaboration between Rhode Island and Southern Mass.

Recently, Hugh participated in and won a special election to replace the Ward 3 City councilor. Although not born here, over the past 7 years he has been able to immerse himself in the community and its future, which is why he takes pride in his new position. His hope to is help the city continue in its positive trajectory, utilize all his tools to do so. His major focus is going to be on battling the opioid epidemic and economic development, while advocating for the constituents throughout the ward.

“Honored to serve the city and work to keep its residents and business’s moving forward.”

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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

Meet Caitlyn Fontes, 30-year-old co-owner of Two Sisters and author.

Caitlyn has worked in the food industry for the majority of her adult life and throughout a good portion of her teenage years. She got her start in restaurants, waitressing at a small breakfast place in Fairhaven.

With the recent death of her grandfather, her and her sister decided that they wanted to open a restaurant in memory of him. Due to the lack of food trucks in New Bedford, in comparison to the rest of the cities in our country, they decided to try their luck building one of their own. Two Sisters was born, a Portuguese-styled restaurant, to honor their grandfather and culture that they were born into.

Although it began with a bumpy start, stolen generators and kitchen fires, they have just passed their milestone of 10,000 orders fulfilled in just the first 6 months. Caitlyn loves what Two Sisters means to her family and New Bedford, hoping to diversify the locations of the truck by adding more to the fleet.

Not only has Caitlyn successfully opened her own food truck, but has had her hand in publishing children’s books. Her series, Magestica: The Land of Imagination, was inspired by one of her favorite authors advice to her at a signing, “You want to write a book? What’s stopping you?”

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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

Meet Jordan Paiva, 25-year-old singer and DJ.

Growing up, Jordan was always interested in music and sang in several school organizations. During trips with his parents, he was fascinated by the way the entertainers were able to get the crowd involved and it was then that he realized what he wanted to do for a career. It was at the age of 15 when he started DJing, getting a gig at Fairhaven High Schools’s homecoming dance. He quickly grew from small birthday parties and events to weddings in no time, taking pleasure in being a young entrepreneur.

He takes pride in not just being a DJ, but entertainment. His clients have told him they enjoy that he not only interacts with the crowd but checks in to make sure that their night is stress free. To him there is something special about bringing two families together, that may come from two different cultures, to enjoy themselves while celebrating such an important event as a wedding.

With his success in what he does, he feels it is so important to give back to the community. With the loss of his grandmother in 2010 to pancreatic cancer, he decided he wanted to help raise money to fight cancer. He has since volunteered at several Relay for Life events and contributes to the American Cancer Society.

“It’s not about making money, it’s about doing what you 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

Meet Adrian Carvalho, 47-year-old Soccer Coach and Philanthropist.

Adrian, growing up in New Bedford, began playing soccer at the age of six, soon taking the position as goalkeeper. He was involved in many leagues but notes the push he received from one of his coaches, Carlos Valente, that lead him down the path he is on today.

After graduating high school, he started working for his families’ construction business but also play semi-professional soccer for the LASA, Luzo America Soccer Association, from the age of 16 to 40. It was throughout his time playing that he decided that he wanted to give back to the youth of New Bedford.

This desire is what propelled him to start Top Level Goalkeeping, where he helps kids from all ages on the importance of goal keeping. Most coaches put their emphasis on the offense of a team, rarely ever focusing on the goal keeper, which is where Adrian flourishes.

Recently, he has taken on the full-time position of the Academy Goalkeeper Coach with the New England Revolution. At the academy, he works with children from the age of 8 up to college students at the age of 23, training and perfecting their skills, in hopes to prepare them for playing for a professional team.

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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

Meet Caitlin Joseph, 31-year-old Personal Trainer and Nutrition coach at Boutique Fitness.

From a young age, Cait was always involved in competitive sports, but it wasn’t until her senior year of high school and starting college that her interest in the weight room and running really took off. After graduating from Johnson & Wales with a degree in Marketing Communications, she started working in the marketing field.

Boutique Fitness opened in 2012 and Cait fell in love with their functional approach to fitness and the camaraderie that came with working out in small groups. It didn’t take long before she became a part of the movement. Shortly after Cait became a client, Angela Corrieri-Johnson and Lara Harrington asked her to be the first to join their team. With their support and guidance, Cait obtained her ISSA certification and began taking on clients at the studio. Working with clients of different fitness levels everyday, all of the trainers at Boutique Fitness strive to help their members achieve their fitness goals without comparing themselves to others.

Often times, what holds individuals back from reaching their goals, is their self doubt and lack of confidence. With that in mind, Lara and Cait decided that bringing up the topic to school age students would be a perfect opportunity to discuss the sensitive issues of body image and self esteem, before they snow ball into life long issues to be dealt with through adulthood. This led to the program – Mindful Me – Supported by Boutique Fitness, spearheaded by Cait Joseph.

The program was designed to bring up the topics of positive body image, mindfulness, and confidence. Topics that many students are often too embarrassed or nervous to talk about. This program gives them an appropriate outlet and support system for this kind of conversation. They just completed the pilot program at Our Sisters’ School and had a very positive experience. Cait hopes to continue at Our Sisters’ School and watch the program grow.

“I get to make people feel better and work towards reaching their goals everyday. I have the best job in the world!”

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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

Meet Ryan Caton, 26-year-old surveyor and owner of Got Chew.

Ryan graduated from New Bedford High School in hopes of becoming a pharmacist. He added the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and while living in Boston, frequently used a delivery service that would deliver for restaurants that didn’t offer that sort of service.

Upon graduating and entering the field, he realized that he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life working in medicine. Bouncing around from job to job, he finally settled in at Vivint, working as a site surveyor. Living with his girlfriend and working opposite schedules, he would find himself at home for dinner, with the inability to cook, missing the delivery service he used so often during school. It was then that the idea of Got Chew was birthed and shortly thereafter became a reality.

Teaming up with lifelong friends Will and Justin, Ryan’s idea become much more than they. They pitched their idea at Southcoast E4All’s Pitch Contest and won first place, along with crowd favorite. With this momentum they continued full speed ahead, locking in local restaurants like Two Sisters and dNB Burger, all while developing the app, mobile and desktop site. With Got Chew, you can log in, view menus for the restaurants they service, place your order and pay all in one location.

Ryan’s love for the city he was born and raised in pushed him to bring this to our city streets. His hope is that his team can positively impact the community and local business by allowing another avenue for growth to occur because of their service.

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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

Meet Lee Heald, 63-year-old Director of AHA New Bedford.

Lee moved to the area in the nineties to work at the Whaling Museum as the Vice President of Education and Exhibitions. During her time at the museum, she worked under a large grant that connected communities of whaling with the cultural institutions that collected the information on its history. This project did a lot to help educate New Bedford on its history as a whaling port and opened opportunity to connect our community with others across the world that also shared a similar history.

In 1999, Lee worked to write a grant to fund the first AHA project, not knowing that she would eventually run the organization it became. In 2007, she left her position at the Whaling Museum to take on the Director role at AHA. She loves that AHA is about collaboration and that it is always about the people. It’s designed to connect six different sectors: Arts and Culture, Health and human Services, Environment, Education, business oriented and communities of faith.

When you look at the AHA platform, It’s not just arts and culture but the community. One of the things that they have demonstrated that it is really possible to build a brand that is inclusive of all of the parts of the community.

“If we are a community that supports all creativity at all levels, we need a place to celebrate.”

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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

Meet Devin Byrnes, 42-year-old cook and owner of Destination Soups.

Devin grew up in Salem, MA and always found himself cooking, from a young age and through high school in restaurants. He located to New Bedford to attend the University of Massachusetts and fell in love. He never felt that Salem was a home to him, and got that sense while in New Bedford right away.

After spending about 7 years in New Bedford, he moved to New York chasing his career as a cook. While there he met his wife and they moved back to New Bedford, with aspirations of opening his own restaurant. Throughout the years, he had specialized in making soups, so it only made sense to open a soup shop.

His goal with Destination Soups is to have a place where the average worker or college student can stop in to have an affordable and healthy lunch. He has been able to successfully do that, although his first few years were a struggle, working open to close with only one part time employee. Devin was able to push through and persevere, even moving to a bigger space and purchasing the building it is located in.

“There is something to be said for sticking around and sticking it out.”

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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