NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — Thousands of students in New Bedford will return to the classroom on Thursday.

Back to school means new beginnings for students and a new generation of educators ready to give back to the community that raised them.

Some new teachers and counselors will also be starting school, and some of them are graduates of New Bedford High themselves.

Allison Baptista just finished her degree and is back where her education journey began, but this time, she will support students as a school adjustment counselor.

She told 12 News her dream was to help the next generation navigate the challenges of their teenage years and to do so at New Bedford High, where she graduated five years ago.

"I left New Bedford High school with the plan that I'm going to go on to study social

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