Dawn Lopes

 

Dawn M. Lopes, of New Bedford, Class of 2019 Valedictorian, began at Bristol determined to achieve her personal best, both inside and outside of the classroom.

In addition to her outstanding academic standing at the college, Dawn has bettered her community in several ways, including previously serving as a tutor at Bristol’s Learning Commons and board member for Dream Out Loud Center for the Arts, a nonprofit organization in New Bedford that teaches youth how to make their hobbies into careers.

Dawn has served as an AmeriCorps Teacher at Our Sisters’ School, an independent school for girls from the Greater New Bedford area that educates and inspires girls to reach their full potential. She is also a graduate of the Mass Humanities initiative, the Clemente Course in the Humanities, which empowers students to further their education and careers, become effective advocates and engage actively in the cultural and political lives of their communities. 

Socially, Dawn enjoys engaging others by performing poetry and has even hosted writing workshops. She plans to continue her education at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to earn her degree in writing, rhetoric and communication, before her pursuing her goal of becoming a screenwriter and novelist.