The winners of the 22nd annual Carret Essay Contest

By mchapman4, faculty

March 29, 2022

The winners of the 23rd annual Carret Essay Contest will be announced on April 12.

Elon students Lucy Callicott ’22, Molly Logan ‘21 and Rebekah Maupin ’21 were selected as the winners of the 2021 Philip L. Carret Thomas Jefferson Essay Contest.

The Elon American Studies Program asked students to address the relations between two of the most impactful events of recent history and the legacy of Thomas Jefferson. The three winners of the contest, endowed by the late Philip L. Carret, were recognized by Elon University’s English Department in the spring 2021 semester.

The Phillip L. Carret Thomas Jefferson Essay Competition is an endowed contest created in 1997. Carret, a longtime New York investor, fell in love with Elon University after he visited the campus in 1996. The contest was created to encourage students to reflect on the ideals and principles embodied in Thomas Jefferson’s life and career.

In 2021, students were invited to respond to the following prompt in their essays, “The U.S. Capitol, Jefferson’s Legacy, and the 45th and 46th Presidents.”

In January 2021, the United States Capitol was stormed by supporters of former President Donald Trump and two weeks later served as a backdrop for President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Students were asked to consider these two events addressing their objectives, rhetoric and/or visual imagery.How is it possible to make sense of Trump’s speech to his supporters, the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20? How might both events dovetail with the American values articulated by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence and/or in his vision for the Capitol Building?The winners, who were honored in during the spring 2021 semester are:

First Place: Lucy Callicott ’22

Lucy Callicott won the $1,000 prize and an all-expenses-paid overnight trip to Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello, Virginia.

Second Place: Molly Logan ’21

Molly Logan received the $500 second-place award.

Third Place: Rebekah Maupin ’21


Rebekah Maupin won the $100 third-place award.

After being recognized, the three winners were invited to present their essays on Student Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) Day on April 27, 2021. There, they participated in a virtual panel and shared their research findings with students, faculty and staff.

Submissions for the 23rd annual competition close Tuesday, March 29th and students are encouraged to submit a response to this year’s prompt – “COVID and Smallpox: Thomas Jefferson and the Politics of Vaccination” – by 11:59 p.m. for a chance to win one of three prizes. All submissions can be forwarded to Erin Pearson, coordinator of the American Studies Program (epearson7@elon.edu).

Winners will be announced at an event on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

For more information on this year’s prompt, visit the American Studies Department website.

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