GWA Students Represent Morocco at International Leaders Conference

"We are the generation of leaders, a generation of peace, a generation of tolerance, a generation of multi-ethnicity, and a generation of change."

The George Washington Academy represented Morocco at the First International Emerging Leaders Conference in Richmond, Virginia. Four GWA students and a professor joined 60 students from 11 countries in Washington DC for discussions around foreign environmental issues and creation of innovative solutions.

GWA's students Waleed Helweeh, Maissoun Ksara, Adil Skalli, and Zineb Merzak were among the top students at the conference and interviewed by local papers for their views on Morocco and America. The video below shows the GWA students in action with their peers from around the world and provides personal commentary from Adil and Zineb who were interviewed for the video.

During the Conference, GWA Students visited universities and major corporations in the US where they discussed real world problems with university professors and corporate CEOs. They were encouraged to think outside of the box and come up with creative solutions. The conference tackled global environmental issues and offered an opportunity for Morocco's future leaders to develop public speaking skills, creativity, ideas and innovation.

Adil Skalli, GWA Senior, explained how the conference impacted him. "I was a member of the group that studied the problem of plastic bags in India. My team included an American, Malaysian, Chinese, Israeli, and Mexican. Together, we used our knowledge of the world to come up with potential solutions. We opted for a campaign to raise awareness and a business that would break down plastic bags into their original fuel state. After our presentation, a US journalist asked for an exclusive interview. The next morning, our event and opinions made the front page of the Richmond Times Dispatch."

Adil, age 17, summarized the experience in this way: "After our presentation, I sat in the back of the bus on our way back to the hotel and I realized the impact this conference had on my character and my view of the world. Together, we are the generation of leaders, a generation of peace, a generation of tolerance, a generation of multi-ethnicity, and a generation of change."