Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist and founder of Turning Point USA, who recently died in a campus shooting in Utah at the age of 31, had an unusual educational journey that shaped his political career.
Earlier life and schooling
Kirk was raised in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Prospect Heights, Illinois. His father was an architect whose business created the Trump Tower in New York, and his mother worked as a counsellor at a mental health centre.
He attended Wheeling High School. After finishing school like many students, he once had his eyes on the United States Military Academy at West Point. However, his application was unsuccessful, an experience he later cited in his criticism of affirmative action policies.
Founding Turning Point USA
After high school, Kirk briefly enrolled at Harper College, a community college in Palatine, Illinois. He did not complete a degree, choosing instead to step away from formal education.
At just 18, with encouragement from political mentor Bill Montgomery, he devoted himself to launching Turning Point USA began in 2012 as a small nonprofit aimed at promoting conservative ideas on college campuses.
It grew rapidly under Kirk's leadership, forming chapters in colleges across the United States and becoming a powerful voice for youth conservative politics.
Although Kirk never held a traditional college degree, his political activism earned him attention across the country. In 2019, Liberty University awarded him an honorary doctorate, acknowledging his activism in mobilising students and promoting conservative issues.
For Kirk, education came less from classrooms and more from direct engagement like organising events, debating on campuses, and building a grassroots movement.
