“Charlie Kirk’s influence on me has been significant, seeing him in action is truly inspiring and what he does is really important,” said Alica Shearer, a Gen Z young person who attended the memorial service, along with her boyfriend Beau Johnson. She expressed that they attended the memorial service to pay tribute to Kirk, and the conservative movement among American youth is rapidly growing.
Shearer also mentioned that despite Charlie Kirk’s passing, she believes that the young conservative movement will continue to thrive. She added, “I am very happy to see this change.”
Reflecting on the impact of Kirk, Shearer shared, “My parents were present at the event when the shooting incident involving Charlie Kirk occurred. I did not expect them to go, although I had heard them discussing whether to attend or not. However, my parents are loyal supporters of Kirk. They were not originally interested in politics until Charlie Kirk came along, and my father really admires him.”
“I have looked up to Kirk since my teenage years,” Shearer said. “Because I am interested in politics, and he helps me better understand politics.”
Recalling the moment, Shearer shared, “At the time, my father posted photos of them attending the event at the University of Utah on Snapchat. Two to three seconds later, he posted the news of the shooting incident and informed me via text that a shooting had occurred. I was terrified at that moment. Later, I watched many videos about the shooting incident. I saw people running away after the shooting, and in one video, I saw my parents running, clearly frightened.”
Beau Johnson, Shearer’s boyfriend who was also present at the event, mentioned that Shearer informed him of the shooting incident via text. He said, “I was at work at that time. Initially, when she told me about the incident, I found it hard to believe. I thought, how could this happen? This is too crazy!”
Shearer mentioned that two days after the shooting incident, on September 12, they attended a memorial event in Orem City.
“His influence on me has been significant,” Shearer said. “It’s not often you see someone like him come out, and he did not harm anyone. His actions are truly inspiring and really important.”
As a Gen Z individual, she noted that she and her classmates and friends have been influenced by Kirk, and they strongly support conservative traditional values. She added, “I believe that the young conservative movement will continue to thrive; it is already stronger than before Kirk’s passing.”