Andrew Duran (’28) and London Bishop (’28) started Mead’s inaugural Club America chapter powered by Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in October of this year. Duran (’28) is the chapter’s current president and Bishop (’28) is the vice president.
“Our goal is to educate students about politics and the structure of the U.S. government,” said Duran (’28). He added that the chapter will be open to everyone willing to attend and learn more about conservative values.
“We want everyone to be able to share their beliefs and values no matter who you are and what you believe in,” he said.
Bishop (‘28) and Duran (‘28) were inspired by Kirk’s courageous movements and wanted to honor his legacy by starting a TPUSA Chapter, following Kirk’s assassination on September 10. Kirk was assassinated while debating students at the campus of Utah Valley University.
He devoted his life to sharing his beliefs and TPUSA’s mission at high school and college campuses. His assassination opened the eyes of many and caused many supporters to take immediate action as a result.
Both Bishop (’28) and Duran (’28) say that their confidence has grown since the start of pursuing a TPUSA chapter, and they are not afraid to share their political views, even if others disagree.
Bishop (’28) shared that she wants everyone to have a place where they can come discuss “equally” and “fairly”, not having conversations that “go the wrong way.” She wants students to “understand other people’s opinions, even if [they] don’t agree with them” which is, to her, the mission of Club America.
Turning Point USA is an American nonprofit organization whose goal is to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government,” according to their website.
They want to “empower informed civic and cultural engagement grounded in American exceptionalism and positive spirit of action”, according to their website as well.
The organization was founded in 2012.
The chapter has been having a difficult time getting up and running, as there have been problems finding a teacher or adult to sponsor the chapter.
The group’s meetings moving forward are still unknown, but Bishop (’28) and Duran (’28) are hoping to get the chapter up and running as soon as possible.
To learn more, you can follow their Instagram here.
