Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, delivered the commencement address at Hillsdale College on Saturday, urging graduates to embrace faith, family, responsibility and patriotism as they leave college.
Kirk, who became CEO of Turning Point USA after her husband was assassinated in September, spoke at the conservative Michigan college where Charlie Kirk had taken numerous online courses. She also accepted an honorary doctorate of public service on behalf of both herself and her late husband.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
Kirk had been announced as Hillsdale’s keynote speaker in March. At the time, she said she was honored to speak at a school her husband admired deeply.
“Charlie loved Hillsdale deeply and was often a grateful student of its online courses, learning from Dr. Larry Arnn and the remarkable faculty, who are so committed to truth and the pursuit of wisdom,” she said in a March press release. “Hillsdale represents something rare in our time — a steadfast devotion to faith, learning, and the principles that sustain a free nation. I am sincerely grateful for the invitation and look forward to being there with all of you. God bless you.”
During Saturday’s address, Kirk recalled her husband’s devotion to Hillsdale’s coursework — even during their honeymoon.
“He was like, ‘I know, I’m almost done, I have to finish just a few more lectures from Dr. Arnn. I have a few more certificates I have to get for my online courses at Hillsdale, we’re almost there; I can’t skip them,’ I said baby, you do what you got to do, I’m here for it,” Kirk said.
She told graduates that life after college would no longer be arranged for them by professors, schedules and assignments, but would demand deliberate choices of their own.
“You now find yourself at the threshold of a life that will no longer be structured for you but entrusted to you,” she said.
Kirk encouraged the graduates to keep learning, build strong relationships and contribute to their communities. She also urged them not to delay marriage and family while pursuing career ambitions, saying young people should think seriously about commitment early in life.
She said Charlie Kirk had encouraged young people to marry “not recklessly, but young,” and to have children even before they felt fully financially prepared.
“Charlie also used to say — have more children than you can afford,” she said.
Kirk also spoke directly to men and women in the graduating class, outlining what she described as their responsibilities in family life.
“To the men, you are called to provide, you are called to lead, to anchor your families in strength and consistency,” Kirk said. “To the women, you are called to nurture, to build, to shape lives with wisdom and endurance.”
She told graduates that their beliefs would be challenged beyond campus.
“The world you are entering will not always affirm what you know to be true,” Kirk said.
Near the end of the speech, Kirk called on graduates to value the United States despite its flaws, describing it as the greatest country in the world and urging them to love it.
The event also drew opposition. A group of protesters gathered in Hillsdale before the ceremony, organized by Hope in Action. In a Facebook post, the group accused Turning Point USA of being “a national right-wing political machine organizing young people into MAGA politics, anti-trans rhetoric, anti-DEI backlash, and culture-war extremism.”
Allison Bader of Hope in Action said the protest was meant to push back against the group’s influence.
“We are here to make sure it is clear that we are not going to accept blatant racism, homophobia, and sexism in our communities any longer, and they have been continuously perpetuating Turning Point USA and Project 2025, and we want to put an end to that,” Bader said.
Her daughter, Norah Bader, said she came to demonstrate that students have a right to speak out.
“Just to prove that the students have a voice, have a right, have the freedom to do as we please and believe what we want,” she said. “And our education needs to be as free and open as it should be.”
Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn presented Kirk with an honorary doctorate of public service during the ceremony. Arnn had announced at Charlie Kirk’s memorial in September that both Charlie and Erika Kirk would receive honorary degrees at the spring commencement.
Arnn said he had known Charlie Kirk since 2013 and Erika Kirk since 2022, and praised their commitment to civic life and education.