Isaiah Goldsmith ‘19 To Compete in Oratory Nationals

This spring, Isaiah Goldsmith ‘19 won first place in the state at the Sons of the American Revolution Oratory Contest. On July 7, he will represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the National Contest in Santa Ana, California. The topic of his essay is the long history of mistreatment of U.S. veterans throughout American history.

This is not Isaiah’s first trip to the National Oratory Contest. Last year, he represented Massachusetts with an essay on the modern history of taxation without representation with a focus on the U.S. response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Isaiah served this year as president of RL’s Model United Nations and is a longtime member of the Debate team. A young man dedicated to social activism, his speeches tend to cover topics of injustice and individual struggle.

Isaiah’s passion for civic engagement has also fueled a serious commitment to his Jewish faith. This year, he completed the yearlong Himmelfarb Fellowship with the Tikvah Fund, which included two national conferences and 50 hours of learning on Jewish philosophy. He was the selected speaker this spring for the Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston’s Teen Grant Maker program. On the leadership council there for three years, he has helped to develop grant processes that funded programs addressing domestic violence, opioid addition, and child abuse. 

His hometown of Brookline has also recognized Isaiah this year (and not for the first time) for his social impact. In large part because of his role on the planning team for the March for Our Lives Boston after the Parkland shooting, Isaiah won the Brookline Community Service Award and was nominated for Brookline Youth of the Year this spring. Isaiah’s significant contributions to his town, state, and faith are remarkable, particularly given his many commitments at RL. We wish him well on his speech at the sons of the American Revolution National Oratory Contest in July.