Across cultural borders
This is one in a series of profiles showcasing some of Harvard’s stellar graduates. Suzie Verdin loved to dance. But growing up in a community where art and creativity exist in tension, she often struggled to justify her passion. The child of Mexican immigrants, Verdin was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, a border city at the intersection of Mexican and American identities. She gravitated toward dance as a girl, performing with the precision dance and drill teams popular there. But there was always an underlying friction. “Sometimes, there is a false dichotomy between what a community values in creativity and what a community considers the arts,” Verdin said. “Unfortunately, in immigrant communities, I believe that division is really stark. And allowing yourself to value the arts is impeded because you don’t see the connection between this everyday creativity and maybe innovative ways of thinking. “It took me a really long time to be...