On Wednesday, Sept. 10, I was writing up an assignment for one of my classes and decided to take a break to doomscroll for 10 minutes. Opening up Instagram, I was expecting to just see a post from one of my friends or a meme at the top of my feed. What I saw instead was something that rocked me to my core.
The very first post on my feed was a video recording from someone at Utah Valley University who was at the event when Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck by an assassin. Because I thought it had to be artificial intelligence, I opened up X and the first post on my feed was a separate video where you can graphically see Charlie being hit in the neck by a bullet.
Everyone has a view on his assassination. Some people are celebrating his death, others are mourning and scared. For myself, Charlie’s death has hit me incredibly hard.
If you’ve read some of my other articles, have seen the commentary I’ve offered on-air through appearances on media outlets or know me as a friend, you can put two and two together to figure out that I’m a conservative. However, I would not be where I am today if it was not for Charlie’s impact on my life.
On June 23, 2020, I went to a Turning Point USA event that was held in Phoenix, Arizona. I went because Erika Kirk, Charlie’s wife, had given my mother tickets for our family to attend the event because they had become acquainted through my mother’s work.
It was at that event that I became inspired.
Before then, I only cared about politics to a small extent. I was 17, and I was more focused on hockey, having the ability to tell you 150 different things that the Arizona Coyotes needed to do in order to win the Stanley Cup.
However, that Turning Point USA event in 2020 changed a lot for me, including my passions. Hearing from politicians, the President and others who care about the future of our country had made me realize a lot about myself and my country. Specifically, it imposed an immediate level of gratefulness in me. It made me grateful that I’m American, that I fight on a level playing field and that if I want to, I can.
Just being present and hearing some of the speeches from that day made me grateful for how my father was so moved by the promise of the American Dream that he moved to the United States from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. I realized he did it so my brother and I could have the opportunity to thrive in a country that promises returns on your hard work and grit.
The inspiration from that event carried over into everything I have done since.
Politics aside, Charlie’s work was beyond impressive. If you say the words “Turning Point USA” to someone, I’d argue that they likely know about the group and have some sort of view about it.
The fact that Charlie was able to accomplish this is striking.
For example, if you want to start a business, imagine the energy, motivation and hard work it takes to get name recognition, let alone succeed in your mission. Both are beyond difficult.
This sentiment is evident in Charlie’s work. Whether or not you agreed with Charlie’s opinions, he did something more than impressive by growing an idea that he had in 2012 into an unprecedented youth movement that has nearly 800 college chapters and over 1,000 high school chapters.
Charlie’s approach to politics was also unprecedented. He believed in political discourse so much that he would offer any student who either agreed or disagreed with him the opportunity to directly ask him questions, debate or just have a conversation.
Despite giving people this opportunity, especially for those who might have had a difference with him, he was murdered by an assassin’s bullet while exercising that belief.
You’re now probably wondering why I care so much about Charlie. To answer: I had met Charlie beyond that one event in 2020, and from my experiences and interactions with him, I have so much to say about him.
On the day Charlie was killed, I met up with one of my friends at 11 p.m. by the fountain outside of Hughes. My friend asked me what impression I had of Charlie, and the first thing I said was that he was tall. I said that partially because it’s not often that I meet someone who is much taller than me, but also because it was very hard for me to talk about Charlie.
I didn’t tell my friend then, but I was thinking about something Charlie had said to me in Florida back in 2023. I had asked Charlie what drives him. His response was that it was young people like me who motivated him to work hard.
I wish I could explain through words on this page what that meant to me, and how that inspired me, but words would not do the sentiment of how that made me feel any justice.
A lot of people have someone in their life who they look up to and can confidently say is their north star, meaning: those people who motivate you. For me, that person was Charlie Kirk.
I say this because amongst all the other ways that Charlie affected my life, he brought me closer to God. Outside of politics, Charlie preached the gospel and believed in the power of a relationship with God. When I needed that most, Charlie’s words and lessons helped bring me home.
I am praying for Charlie’s soul, his widow Erika and his two children. He didn’t deserve death, and his family deserves prayers.
In the spirit of what Charlie taught me, I offer this in closing: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
Michael Duke, GSB ‘26, is a business administration major from Scottsdale, Arizona.
