Carrie Waldron is a young woman with a mature world view and a long list of talents. Her undergraduate experience began in Jordan, where she studied anthropology. “I couldn’t get enough of the Middle East—the food, the culture, the atmosphere, and the people all became dear to me,” says Waldron. “One thing I’d like to point out is how safe the country is. Everyone was scared for me while I was there, but honestly, I felt safer in Amman than [I’ve felt] in any American city.”

After two years in Jordan, the Meredith, NH, native returned to New Hampshire to be closer to her father as he recovered from heart surgery, and continued her studies at Plymouth State University. While at PSU, Waldron composed two chapbooks of poetry, choreographed a work of modern dance, and wrote numerous scholarly works related to her experiences in the Middle East. According to Waldron, her interests in writing, dance, and anthropology complement each other. “My background in the social sciences brings all of my art to the next level; I like to employ anthropological theories about culture, identity, and communication in my art to both reflect and challenge the way we live our lives,” she says. “At Plymouth State, I had the opportunity to combine my interests in all three disciplines by choreographing a modern dance to some poetry that I had written about the Lebanese civil war. This tense, political piece of art brought out the human side of war, but more importantly, it made people think. I don’t make art for beauty’s sake. I make art to make people think, and anthropology makes people think.”

Since graduating from PSU last spring, Waldron has not lost any momentum. Declining an offer to continue her education at the University of Chicago, she recently began her first season as an apprentice for the Ballet Theatre of Maryland. Waldron plans to dance professionally for as long as her body allows, and will eventually pursue a PhD in anthropology.­ –Kristin Proulx Jarvis ’06G

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