IN SHORT

At 12, Steven Tarazi spent his time off school working for his father in the Colon Free Trade Zone. It was there, looking out to the ocean, that he came up with the idea of creating infrastructure that would allow cruise ships to dock in the city instead of just passing through the canal. Taking on the challenge, he transformed the lives of local gangs of vandals in the process, allowing them to commit to preserving visitors’ safety instead.