(WBRE/WYOU)— In the wake of Charlie Kirk's death, some local Republican students are coming together to pick up where the late political activist left off.
Students from two local universities are in the process of starting what could be the first chapters of Kirk's youth outreach group, Turning Point USA, in NEPA.
Both students I met with say that Kirk's conservative values are something they'd like to see more of on their respective campuses. Now, with the potential formation of the two Turning Point chapters, students and professors could have a chance to get involved.
The death of Charlie Kirk has prompted an increased interest in his non-profit and conservative youth outreach program, Turning Point USA, and that includes NEPA.
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"I think the goal really is to just continue the mission of Charlie Kirk, and to get more people involved in politics and speaking the truth and just being unafraid and really willing to hold honest and open conversations," said Therese Shimkus, secretary of the University of Scranton College Republicans.
"We have a community of students who are willing to, you know, open themselves up to the conservative ideology and also Christian values. We are a catholic institution," added Ryan DeBellis, vice president, Misericordia University College Republicans.
Therese Shimkus, a senior, and Ryan DeBellis, a junior, are both actively involved in their schools' republican clubs and student government.
The University of Scranton's application was recently submitted to Turning Point, while Misericordia's is still in the process.
Debellis says he hopes the presence on campus will encourage more young people to adopt conservative values, which he feels have been overlooked.
"I feel like we've kind of been drifting away, but with the assassination and the amount of news coverage this has gotten, there's a pretty big, strong wave coming," voiced Debellis.
A wave Shimkus feels could actually bring people, regardless of political ideologies, together through conversation.
"We live in a culture that tries to silence people who want to speak the truth, and he was assassinated for doing just that, and I think the response to that should not be silence, it should not be violence, obviously, it should just be more honest and open speech and debate," expressed Shimkus.
Speech and debate, the formation of the Turning Point chapters, hopes to generate on both campuses, and something both students say can create an open dialogue in response to Kirk's death.
"I think the response really needs to be courage, and standing up for what you believe in, and not backing down," said Shimkus.
"As soon as we realize that the left wing and the right wing make up the same eagle, only then can we soar," added DeBellis.
We did reach out to Turning Point USA regarding their apparent influx of applications following the assassination, but did not receive a response in time for this story.
