Vice President Mike Pence, Governor Scott Walker, and Congressman Burgess Owens Headline YAF’s Fall College Retreat and President’s Club Weekend

By Jaime Hahn, Program Offi cer for Student Services; Ilinca Scalco, Development Offi cer

Young America’s Foundation welcomed more than 250 participants to our annual Fall College Retreat and President’s Club Weekend in Arlington, Virginia, highlighting the importance of advancing freedom during a year of government overreach. YAF student activists, supporters, and friends traveled from as far as California and Puerto Rico to attend the in-person gathering, which featured enlightening speeches, key networking opportunities, and lively discussions about conservative values and principles. Making his fourth YAF appearance as Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence kicked off the weekend with a memorable speech, inspiring all in attendance as he urged:

Stay in the fi ght for America...Looking out at all these bright and shining faces, I know the best days for the Conservative Movement and the best days for America are yet to come.

The Vice President also refl ected on YAF’s mission, noting:

This is an organization—not just [stewarding] the Reagan Ranch that my young family and I visited about 15 years ago, but [stewarding] the conservative agenda for young people on campuses all across America—advancing the cause of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional moral values.

And each and every one of you are rising leaders in this generation that have embraced that agenda.

YAF alumna, Board of Directors member, and author Kate Obenshain Keeler encourages the young audience to stand strong for their conservative values.

Vice President Mike Pence delivers opening remarks to more than 250 YAF students, supporters, and friends at the Foundation’s Fall College Retreat and President’s Club Weekend.

Congressman Burgess Owens, a Super Bowl champion and longtime YAF ally, delivers an uplifting message encouraging student activists to be happy warriors on campus. YAF President Governor Scott Walker asks attendees to persist, not merely resist, for freedom.

Congressman Alex Mooney, a longtime Young America’s Foundation staff member, makes the case for freedom over socialism by sharing his family’s story of fl eeing Communist Cuba. Students Hannah Kim (left) and Margaret Bland (right) receive a signed copy of YAF alumnus and Breitbart Entertainment Editor Jerome Hudson’s book following his remarks.

Foundation student activists from around the country meet with Congressman Byron Donalds (back row, middle) at the Fall College Retreat.

Activist and 37th Treasurer of the United States Bay Buchanan motivates attendees to become leaders in the Conservative Movement. (Continued from page 14) Congressman and Super Bowl champion Burgess Owens, a longtime friend of YAF, followed by sharing that conservatives need to persevere in the face of failure. Activist and 37th Treasurer of the United States Bay Buchanan challenged each attendee to commit to being “a strong, powerful, outspoken leader in this Movement of ours.” Then-Foundation Spokesman Spencer Brown joined Young Americans for Freedom Board of Governors Vice Chairman and Federalist Senior Editor Chris Bedford to discuss how COVID-19 lockdowns are harming Americans. YAF President Governor Scott Walker concluded the fi rst day by encouraging students to tell the stories of those who chose to come to the United States:

People took enormous risk to come to America because they knew that in America, it didn’t matter what class you were born into, what you looked like, where you came from, or what your parents did for a living. In America, freedom and opportunity was available to everyone. It was then, just as much as it is today.

The second day of the conference began with a special breakfast for members of Young Americans for Freedom, during which students enjoyed meeting with like-minded young conservatives and learning about YAF’s resources from Foundation Program Offi cers Breana Marsh and Madison Habersetzer. Speakers addressing students on the second day of the program included Breitbart Entertainment Editor and YAF alumnus Jerome Hudson, author and Foundation Director Kate Obenshain Keeler, Congressman Andy Biggs, and National Journalism Center board members Congressman Alex Mooney and WMAL and KABC radio host Larry O’Connor. The conference also featured Daily Wire host Michael Knowles, who encouraged students not to sacrifi ce principles for popularity, remarking, “If you play the jester, your life as a day-to-day matter will be easier, you will get better grades more easily...you will fi t in better at work... and all it will cost you is your integrity.” The program concluded with a meet-and-greet with, and remarks from, Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida, followed by a dinner banquet featuring Governor Scott Walker, who encouraged students and supporters to persist, rather than just resist, in the fi ght for freedom. Attendees left the program inspired and betterequipped to boldly promote conservative principles on their campuses and in their communities. Sarah Shield from the University of Alabama stated, “I am so motivated and ready to make a difference. My hope is renewed in the future of our country.” Julia St. John from the University of Texas at Arlington remarked, “This YAF conference was a breath of fresh air, and I am so excited and encouraged to continue standing up for conservative beliefs in America.”