Real America’s Voice – TPUSA Campus Tour at Ole Miss (Oct 29, 2025)

Podcast: Real America’s Voice
Episode: TPUSA CAMPUS TOUR OCTOBER 29TH, 2025
Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Grant
Featured Speakers: Amanda Head, Lane Schoenberger, Alexis Wilkins, Erica Kirk, Leslie Lockman

Overview

This episode brings listeners to the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Campus Tour stop at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)—a highly emotional and significant event. The gathering is both a celebration of conservative student activism and a memorial for Charlie Kirk, the late TPUSA founder, following his assassination. The night centers on themes of faith, personal courage, generational change, and the ongoing mission of TPUSA.

Listeners are offered in-depth on-the-ground reporting, interviews with organizers, keynote speeches, stories of activism and resilience, and calls to civic engagement from students and national leaders. The episode captures the spirit, challenges, and aspirations driving America's conservative youth movement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene at Ole Miss

[03:25–05:13]

• Massive crowd and energy: Amanda Head describes a packed Division I arena, with hundreds waiting outside:

  “There was a huge crowd ... the arena already looked packed at this point. ... It’s going to be an incredible night.” (Amanda Head, 04:04)

• Significance for Erica Kirk: This marks Erica’s first major public TPUSA event since her husband Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
• Guest of honor: Vice President JD Vance, closely linked to Charlie Kirk, is a keynote speaker.

2. Campus Free Speech & Political Climate

[06:32–08:08]

• Culture on Southern campuses: Amanda Head contrasts the climate at SEC schools like Ole Miss (relatively supportive of free speech and conservative values) with so-called “woke liberalism” at California and Ivy League universities:

  “You see universities that are ... becoming campuses that promote the First Amendment, ... exactly what this night is about and what this organization is about.” (Amanda Head, 06:32)

• Minimal protest presence: Only a lone evangelist protester noted; no significant left-wing disruptions.

3. Lane Schoenberger: Student Debt & Capitalism

[09:00–13:38]

• Student debt crisis: Schoenberger spotlights the $1.8 trillion student loan burden, largely federal.
• Personal empowerment:

  “That debt does not define you. Do not let it define you.” (Lane Schoenberger, 10:50)

• Y Refi solution: His company helps borrowers avoid collections, prioritizing dignity and individualized repayment plans.
• Call for private solutions: Promotes capitalism and innovation to address the student loan crisis instead of government intervention:

  “The only way we’re going to get out of this problem ... is by getting the government out of the lending business.” (Lane Schoenberger, 12:33)

4. Alexis Wilkins: From Student Activist to Stage

[20:39–34:35]

• Personal testimony: Wilkins details the adversity she faced as a conservative college student—being given an unfair grade, pushed into attending a mandatory left-leaning assembly, and professors demeaning her faith:

  “I said, you know what? I’m not going to take that just because I love America. That’s not fair. We’re not going to do that.” (Alexis Wilkins, 21:48)

• Finding TPUSA: Alexis highlights the comfort and courage TPUSA offered, echoing what other isolated young conservatives seek.
• Message to the crowd:

  “Courage is contagious. ... You might say, ‘Yeah, I’m going to the Turning Point chapter meeting tonight.’ Someone comes with you. ... You can inspire other people to live differently, to stand up differently, to speak differently.” (Alexis Wilkins, 32:29)

• Full-circle moment: Alexis reflects on being in the audience, now returning as a speaker to inspire the next generation.
• Memorable moment: Leads crowd in “God Bless the USA.”

  “Let me hear you guys. It really takes all of us.” (Alexis Wilkins, 32:29)

5. Student Leadership: Leslie Lockman

[37:20–42:34]

• Chapter pride and gratitude: Leslie celebrates Ole Miss’s student chapter, thanks security and field staff, and encourages other universities to get involved.
• Poignant memory of Charlie Kirk:

  “Charlie Kirk was hope for me. Young people who want ... America to evolve a positive path.” (Leslie Lockman, 39:14)

• Action items: Promotes TPUSA’s upcoming America Fest and calls for civic attendance and engagement.

6. Erica Kirk: Honoring Charlie’s Legacy & Calling This Generation

[42:34–62:51, 65:05–85:37]

a. Marriage & Faith

• Marriage as vocation:

  “When you make that covenant with the Lord on that altar, don’t let that fire burn out. ... Charlie always believed that God’s design for marriage and the family was absolutely amazing.” (Erica Kirk, 42:34)

• Charlie’s personal mentorship: Always made time for TPUSA students, investing in their growth.

b. Spiritual & Cultural ‘Reclaiming of Territory’

• Symbolic presence: Erica frames the event as a spiritual battle and reclaiming campus territory from “the enemy.”
• Charlie’s vision: Chapters, “Club America” for high schools, and football-stadium-sized events as symbols of rising youth conservatism.

c. Courage and Standing for Truth

• Encouragement to students:

  “You are the courageous generation. ... My husband believed that to his core. ... Own it. Make him proud.” (Erica Kirk, 54:20)

• Reject comfort for significance:

  “My husband never went with the flow. He swam in the streams of significance. ... Comfort doesn’t change the world.” (Erica Kirk, 59:40)

• Lessons from loss:

  “If you’re worried about losing a friend—you might. I lost my friend, I lost my best friend. ... The assassination of my husband puts into perspective all those fears.” (Erica Kirk, 59:01)

d. Faith, Virtue & American Principles

• On source of rights:

  “Your rights don’t come from the government, they come from God. ... You cannot have freedom without virtue, and you cannot have virtue without God. And that’s what makes this nation so different.” (Erica Kirk, 65:05)

• Vigilance against evil:

  "The enemy thrives when Christians don’t speak up, when citizens don’t vote, when students don’t think for themselves." (Erica Kirk, 65:24)

• Boldness in faith:

  “They will be known by the boldness of their faith.” (Erica Kirk, 77:41)

e. Keys to Courage (Charlie’s Daily Questions)

• Motivational habit:

  “What is something I can do for someone today? ... What is something I can do to add value to the world today? ... How can I honor God today? ... Ask yourself those three questions every single day, and I promise you, you will get courage.” (Erica Kirk, 78:57)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Amanda Head:

  “There was a huge crowd ... it’s going to be an incredible night.” (04:04)

• Lane Schoenberger:

  “That debt does not define you. Do not let it define you.” (10:50)
  “The only way we’re going to get out of this problem ... is by getting the government out of the lending business.” (12:33)

• Alexis Wilkins:

  “I know that there are other students that are going through exactly what I’m going through... I was looking for a community.” (26:25)
  “Courage is contagious. ... You can inspire other people to live differently, to stand up differently, to speak differently.” (32:29)

• Leslie Lockman:

  “Charlie Kirk was hope for me. Young people who want ... America to evolve a positive path.” (39:14)

• Erica Kirk:

  “You are the courageous generation. ... Make him proud.” (54:20)
  “Comfort doesn’t change the world. ... You cannot influence the world when you look like it.” (59:40)
  “Your rights don’t come from the government, they come from God. ... You cannot have freedom without virtue, and you cannot have virtue without God.” (65:05)
  “What is something I can do for someone today? ... How can I honor God today?... you will get courage.” (78:57)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Time | |--------------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Setting the scene: Amanda Head reporting | 03:25–08:12 | | Lane Schoenberger on student debt and Y Refi | 09:00–13:38 | | Alexis Wilkins’ personal activism story & message | 20:39–34:35 | | Leslie Lockman, Ole Miss TPUSA student leader | 37:20–42:34 | | Erica Kirk’s keynote, legacy, and “courageous generation” | 42:34–62:51, 65:05–85:37 |

Recurring Themes

• Personal courage and faith: The necessity of standing against cultural pressure.
• Community: The importance of finding like-minded peers for encouragement.
• Legacy and generational change: Today’s youth must decide the future of American freedom and values.
• Action: Moving beyond talk into organizing, leading, voting, and “reclaiming territory.”

Summary Takeaway

This episode captures the energy and emotion of a movement at a crossroads. Through tributes to Charlie Kirk, moving personal stories, and rallying calls to action, the event affirms the determination of young conservatives to shape their own future—through faith, courage, and relentless activism. The message is clear: each individual’s stand is both a tribute to what’s been lost and the seed for what’s to come.