Our hope lies in Christ: a student shares his experience at TPUSA's AmFest

After Charlie Kirk passed, Patrick Henry College’s Turning Point USA chapter honored his legacy at TPUSA’s AmericaFest (AmFest) conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Owen Caughron, a sophomore, shares about his experience. Read his reflections on the Christian faith, the conservative movement, and hope for a country full of despair.

I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith. —Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk believed in a conservative America, an America built on the foundations of Christ and liberty. Surrounded by enemies on both sides of the aisle, Kirk did not fear death, knowing it had been defeated on the cross. He lived in such a way as to be ready to meet His Lord and Savior at any moment. 

No one could have predicted it would be so soon.

On September 10, 2025, an assassin’s bullet ripped a Kirk-sized hole in our country. Millions across the country mourned the loss of a man many looked up to as an example of how to love Christ while also loving their country. Americans pointed fingers and took sides, each arguing their own version of what happened as verified truth. The microphone that united a country had gone silent.

So, who would pick up the mic?

This past year’s AmericaFest (AmFest) attempted to answer that question. Held in TPUSA’s home base of Phoenix from December 18–21, AmFest is the largest conservative conference that the organization hosts each year. Over 30,000 patriots of all ages attended the conference, with thousands more following along online. While many will remember AmFest for the controversial opinions from speakers such as Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, and others, there was so much good that came from the event—so much that gives me hope for our country and for our school.

And I’m glad I was able to witness it.

I’m no stranger to TPUSA. Having helped found a chapter back in high school and being one of the founding members of Patrick Henry College’s chapter, you can say that I’ve always been a TPUSA activist. From the moment I first heard Kirk speak on a social media video, I looked up to him. His love for our country and love for Christ was contagious, something I admired and wanted to copy in my own life. I had already been to events in the past, such as The People’s Convention and Chapter Leadership Summit in 2024. However, I had never been to AmFest until this past December.

As the PHC TPUSA chapter Vice President, I—along with sophomore Abbagael Sullivan (our President), junior Haley Bock (our Secretary and Events Coordinator), and junior Abi Podgurski (our Treasurer and Social Media Coordinator)—made the long flight to Phoenix. In addition to attending the conference, we also helped run a PHC table with Scott Bedrosian, senior advancement officer for the college. Our mission was to share PHC’s vision for young patriots like us and show how we were different from other schools.

While there were many aspects of AmFest that I could spend paragraph after paragraph describing, there were three parts of the festival that gave me hope for the conservative movement that Charlie lost his life advocating for. The first thing that stood out to me was the main arena where the speakers shared their thoughts with the attendees. Was there some controversy and division? Sure, that’s how the political world works sometimes. However, if the darkness is the only thing we focus on, we miss the light staring right at us.

There were incredible, uplifting moments—Brandon Tatum encouraging students to pursue Christ while building a family, and Russell Brand sharing his testimony, from Hollywood to Holy ground. Most moving was Erika Kirk presenting the Charlie Kirk Courage Award to Caleb Chilkut, the chapter president of Utah Valley University, the place where her husband had died just a few months earlier. In the world we live in, we all need a little hope sometimes. AmFest showed me there was light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Hope wasn’t just confined to the thoughts of political minds. It radiated throughout TPUSA’s Faith Night, a night dedicated to worship and sharing the Gospel truth with the attendees. Speakers such as Bryce Crawford and Pastor Greg Laurie urged attendees to turn from their sinful ways and accept Christ into their lives. Everywhere I looked, I watched people lifting hands, praising the King of Kings. During an event that reminisced much about Charlie’s life and the grief that accompanied it, I watched Charlie’s true mission—his true dream for this country—at work in the midst of tragedy. Students were given the torch to carry forth the mission of faith and freedom. I saw how united we would be if, instead of standing as one nation under conservatism, we stood as one nation under God.

Finally, I saw hope at a small table hidden amongst the various vendors and organizations. At the PHC vendor table, I got to share about my college with high schoolers, other college students, and parents alike. I saw people light up when they heard about a college that was committed to high academic rigor, fidelity to the spirit of the American founding, and an unwavering biblical worldview. PHC was filling a void in higher education left by those compromising on academic strength, a proper understanding of our nation's founding principles, or a foundation of biblical truth. I saw people intrigued to find a school that formed young patriots and adequately prepared them to make a difference in society. However, one thing stood out to students and parents most of all: that we are a college that is unapologetically Christian in everything we do. Charlie believed that our country was important, but that our Savior is the most important. Patrick Henry College prepares its students to pursue that same dream that Charlie envisioned for his fellow Americans. We are leading the way for the next generation.

As I look back at AmFest, at Charlie’s life, and the legacy he left behind, my mind wanders, asking question after question: who will pick up the mic? Who, like Charlie, will stand for truth even when it’s unpopular? Is there hope for a country that seems full of despair?

The truth is, the hope has been there all along.

Hope for our country isn’t found in a person.
Hope for our country isn’t found in a movement.
Hope for our country isn’t found in anything the world has to offer.

Hope for our country was nailed to a cross and pierced for our transgressions.
Hope for our country was buried and rose again on the dawn of the third day.

The hope for our country lies in Jesus Christ.

Charlie knew it all along. He knew it so well that he wanted it to be the thing he was remembered for. May we all live like Charlie, sharing the truths of freedom while pursuing the Truth.

Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.