Five Questions with Leadership Institute’s 250,000th Graduate
Leadership Institute (LI) trained its 250,000th activist at its 2022 National Youth Leadership School (YLS), which was held over the weekend of July 2nd near LI’s Stephen P.J. Wood Building in Arlington, VA. At the largest YLS on record, 285 conservative activists were trained to win.
Kellyanna Brooking, a young activist and social media content creator from Seattle, Washington, became LI’s 250,000th graduate at this flagship school. LI’s Director of Graduate Relations Matthew Hurtt asked Kellyanna five questions about being a young activist:
1. How did you come to embrace your conservative principles? I’m from the Seattle, Washington, area and in the summer of 2020 (or as our mayor called it, The Summer of Love), a large group of extremists took control and occupied an area in Seattle. Rioters and Antifa thugs destroyed our city and our communities and drove crime rates to an all-time high. Seeing this firsthand and reading Tomi Lahren’s book Never Play Dead helped me learn about being a conservative and how to use my voice to make a difference.
2. What is something you learned at the National YLS that you can implement in your community? I learned the importance of organizing around my principles to advance commonsense conservative public policy. LI’s Youth Leadership School teaches young activists to organize on high school and college campuses for the conservative candidates or causes of their choice. This two-day training is intense, and I’m better equipped to fight for conservative principles in far-left Seattle and online because of it.
3. Tell us what it’s like to create content for social media. How do you find inspiration? I love using my social media platform to speak on issues I and other young conservatives face. My online platform helps me advocate for conservative principles on national news outlets and radio stations. It’s motivating for me to use my voice and insight to connect with others who share my principles and care about the important issues we face.
4. What do you think Leadership Institute training can provide to young activists? LI training can provide young activists everything you need to be successful in the political world. LI equips activists with the tools to win. The training has been a blessing and I can’t wait to get back into my community to fight for my principles using what I learned at LI’s Youth Leadership School.
5. What advice would you give a young conservative looking to make a difference? I suggest young people get involved in local politics. Don’t just hide behind social media and become a copy-and-paste talking head. Go out into the world and let yourself be uncomfortable at times. That’s the space where you will be pushed; and you will become a more effective activist and better able to express your informed, well-rounded viewpoints.
Kellyanna founded her Turning Point USA hub at age 12 and then at 14 became their youngest TPUSA Ambassador. Kellyanna can be found on national news outlets speaking out on issues such as defunding the police, cancel culture, protecting freedom of speech, indoctrination in schools and the importance of the youth using their voice.
You can find Kellyanna on her show "A Few Words." Her goal is to help bring younger voices to the conversation and help future leaders to become proud and unapologetic Americans.
If you would like to nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or be featured yourself, contact LI’s Director of Graduate Relations Matthew Hurtt.