Tipsheet

Widow of Assassinated Conservative Icon Tells Graduates: Get Married, Build Families, Live With Purpose

Scott McClallen
Scott McClallen  |  May 10, 2026 2:00 PM

Erika Kirk gave a graduation speech at Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts college in Michigan, on Saturday. 

She encouraged graduates to get married young and raise strong families. Kirk encouraged graduates to live with purpose and clarity. 

Kirk recounted how her late husband, Charlie, who was publicly assassinated in September 2025, started Turning Point USA from a garage in Illinois. That organization spread to colleges nationwide. 

She encouraged graduates to live with intention, make good choices, and form a blueprint of your life before others can see it. 

"I want you to embrace the similar blueprint of my husband, where he'd love to point out that God made us purposeful beings."

"And continue forward in life with clarity and intention, and you will come to understand that life is not defined by the abundance of options, but by the weight of the choices that you make within them."

"Those choices, more often than not, are not dramatic or obvious, but quiet and compounding, forming the blueprint of your life long before anyone else can see what you are building."

Kirk encourages graduates to pursue learning their whole lives, build and maintain deep friendships, and read great books. 

Kirk accepted an honorary degree on behalf of Charlie Kirk, who had close relationships with many at the college. While Charlie encouraged many students to skip college, he took online courses at Hillsdale, which is known for its rigorous classes. 



“Over time, your thoughts become your priorities and your priorities become your direction and your direction becomes unmistakably your life. And what you seek in life you will get. If you’re seeking the ugly, the conspiracy, the pain, you’ll find it. And if you’re seeking the good, the true, and the beautiful, you’ll find that as well.”