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Camden Conference Essay Winners

Gould faculty and students have become a fixture at the annual Camden Conference, an annual summit centered on global issues in Camden, Maine.

This past year, Tommy Lowell ’22 and Burke MacLeay ’22 won 2nd and 3rd place respectively for their essay submissions to the Bill Taylor Essay Contest. These prizes come with a monetary award and their papers have been published on the Camden Conference website.

Read more from World Languages Department Chair Adam Leff:
“Our AP Government and Politics students participate in the Camden Conference each year.  Last year’s conference was Europe: Challenged at Home and Abroad. Our students attended the conference virtually, engaging in the various sessions dedicated to ‘non-partisan and in-depth discussion of… critical global challenges.’

As preparation for the conference, our students participate in a variety of simulations aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the matters under discussion. They produce writing which gives voice to their own critical perspectives on the issues, a piece which, in part, is born from the many diverse perspectives they encounter over the course of the Camden Conference.”

Conference essay judges praised Tommy's essay as being a “well-developed and strongly argued” case for containment of Russia's incursions, for expansion of NATO membership, and for continued military support of Ukraine. When notified of the award, Tommy praised AP Government teacher, Adam Leff, who “inspired me to write the paper and instilled my love of government studies.”

Burke MacLeay’s “well-written and focused” third prize co-winning essay discussed the weakness of the European Union’s response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

Next year’s Camden Conference session will take place live from the Camden Opera House on February 17-19, 2023, and be devoted to ‘Global Trade and Politics: Managing Turbulence.’ You can bet Gould students will be there.
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