When Grand Canyon University students gathered for their last Turning Point USA meeting, they thought they were giving final presentations and saying goodbye.
They never suspected a surprise visit from Erika Kirk, CEO of the national nonprofit, who spoke with them about enhancing Turning Point USA's presence on college campuses.
“This means a lot,” said Luke Anderson, the GCU chapter's president. “She mentioned Charlie (Kirk, her late husband and the organization's co-founder) loved GCU and us as a chapter, a Christian university. And being so close to headquarters, we are really solid ground here where students should go to for insight and guidance.
“Her being here means a lot to, not just me, but all the students here. They are so excited and have so many questions for her.”
It was a regular Thursday evening meeting like any other. Students gathered in a Colangelo College of Business lecture hall to discuss events affecting the nation.
Each club member presented in front of a packed classroom on the recent events in Iran. They were so immersed in their discussion, they didn’t notice Kirk sneaking into the back row and sitting in on the meeting.
“I did a double-take, I had to make sure it was her,” junior Jett Shea said. “This all started with her and Charlie, so it was great to show the fruits of what they created.”
As students were ready to head out after the meeting adjourned, Anderson paused the crowd and, to everyone’s surprise, introduced the special guest.
“What can TPUSA do for you? What do you want to see more of?” Kirk asked.
From healthy work environments and higher education to marriage, relationships and being citizens of integrity, students asked about various topics.
Kirk applauded their research on today’s world happenings, their peaceful discourse and engaging discussion. She gathered notes on how TPUSA is progressing from the students’ perspective and the initiatives they would like to see in the future.
Freshman Jordan-Capri Dailey said she resonated with Kirk on work-life balance.
“It was interesting hearing from her on how to balance that career and life,” Dailey said. “If God is really telling you something, He will make a way for you to do it. It meant a lot that she took the time out of her schedule and sat in the back of our meeting, didn’t make herself the forefront and was just able to listen to us. It was a great opportunity for us to hear from her and for her to hear from us, not only what they can do and better benefit us but also just give us some advice.”
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