Alumni

NEVEAH ESCOBAR on her experience as part of the first graduating class at our Frederick Douglass Campus. “We all took the opportunity to improve ourselves which led the way to our relationships ... That contributed to my growth academically and personally. Which is why I’m truly grateful for the time I’ve spent growing with my classmates under the guidance of Alma’s teachers and staff. You have all helped me realize that life, not only now but in the future, is challenging, but what I do from that point on is what matters most.”

MATTHEW KIRBY, who started at Alma del Mar as a kindergarten scholar, on how his teachers and classmates supported him in his growth over the years. “Over the past few years this school has taught me how to be more responsible and the teachers have helped a lot with that. A few years ago, my behavior was not the best, and there were reasons for that but over the time I have changed and become more responsible and driven. The Alma community believed in me and pushed me to reach my full potential and I will be forever grateful for that.”

DAVIANIS SANTIAGO on all that being part of Class of 2030 at our Sarah D. Ottiwell Campus means to her “Being a part of the Alma community has impacted me in many ways both as a scholar and as a young adult. As a scholar I have the ability and opportunity to think critically and speak up for what I believe in. I also have the motivation and support to guide me on the right path, for which I’m very grateful.”

ISHMAEL LEWIS on how remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic challenged him to take ownership of his education. “It was an unexpected experience that hit most of us badly ... During that time, though, we had the most time to reflect and change if we wanted to. It opened a door for reality, and it gave us the opportunity to make choices. Considering we now had the choice to take ownership of our own learning. Getting used to being away from everyone wasn’t easy, but we had to find ways to make it easy. I hated online learning but I also love the person I became once I was out of it.”

In the eight years since Alma graduated its first eighth grade cohort, we have proudly supported more than 650 New Bedford teens as they matriculated to the high school of their choice:

Alma alumni are overwhelmingly staying in and thriving in secondary school. Of our alumni who are nearing the end of their high school careers, we have seen strong evidence of a growing college-going culture. Members of Alma's first four cohorts, who have now graduated high school, have gone on to attend the following colleges:

Roger Williams University
UMass Dartmouth
Bristol Community College
Bridgewater State University
Dean College
Mass Maritime
Simmons College
Wentworth College

Due to the success of our expansion, Alma has more than doubled the number of children receiving a content-rich, project-based K-8 education. With our Douglass Campus fully grown out, we are now able to make an even bigger impact in the lives of New Bedford children, and we take that responsibility seriously. In June 2025, we graduated 144 well-prepared scholars.

In future years, this means an influx of college-bound students entering local high schools each year and playing a significant role in turning around the high school’s performance.

Full Circle Moment

Nine years ago, Cayla Rivera was volunteering to help classmates with their ELA homework in Mr. Carson’s fifth grade class. Now, she’s working as a teaching assistant at Alma while she takes college classes online, and Mr. Carson is her supervisor.

“It’s like returning home,” Cayla explained. “It feels like I was in Mr. Carson’s classroom just yesterday, and now I’m back working here and I know this is a big step on my way to achieving my goal of becoming a lead teacher!”

Cayla Rivera is currently in her junior year at Bristol Community College, taking classes online in pursuit of a degree in early childhood education. She was a part of Alma’s founding second grade class and graduated from Alma in 2018, then attended Global Learning Charter Public High School.