One Year Later: Remembering September 10 at UVU

Orem, Utah — September 10, 2026

For the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s death, Utah Valley University was quiet.

On September 10th, 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” event in the UVU courtyard. Thousands of people had gathered to hear the political activist and Turning Point USA founder speak and debate with students. In a matter of moments, the political event became a scene of violence, placing attendees in danger and leaving students, employees, and visitors traumatized by what they had witnessed.

To mark the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s death, UVU designated September 10th as “A Day for Healing, Service, and Connection”. Normal classes and campus operations were suspended, allowing members of the university community to reflect, heal, and participate in service. Turning Point USA’s chapter at UVU hosted its “Freedom Built to Last: Honoring Charlie Kirk” memorial service at the UCCU Center. Outside the memorial, students from the Students for Democratic Society and Community Defense clubs gathered to protest the event. Others gathered in the courtyard for a vigil dedicated to Kirk and his faith.

After organizers unveiled a large statue of Kirk, the memorial featured prominent speakers Glenn Beck, Michael Knowles, and Frank Turek, along with Turning Point USA Executive Andrew Sypher. It also featured addresses from UVU students Sage Lloyd and Caleb Chilcutt.

The first speaker was Sage Lloyd, UVU TPUSA chapter president. In her address, she talked about how Charlie Kirk influenced her life and others around her. Lloyd said, “Charlie Kirk may have been one man, but what he built will never end with just one man. He may never pick up the microphone again but the millions of voices he inspired will never put theirs down.” Lloyd’s remarks also included how Turning Point USA has adapted and changed since Kirk’s death saying, “This chapter stands together, we stand together because we believe that fear can not be allowed to decide who gets to speak.”

The next speaker, Frank Turek, spoke about his personal relationship with Kirk and what he described as Kirk’s unwavering dedication to his Christian faith. “Charlie was so secure and so confident because his foundation was secure. It was in Christ.” Turek said. Turek also spoke about the trauma he has experienced since witnessing Kirk’s killing. “The first person I think of in the morning is Charlie. The last person I think of before I wrestle myself to sleep is Charlie. Some people call that PTSD – it’s not a disorder – it should be that way.”

After Turek’s address, Andrew Sypher, TPUSA Chief Field Officer, took the stage. Like Turek, Sypher spoke about his personal relationship with Kirk saying, “Friendship is proximity, timing, and energy. Friendship comes and goes. Brotherhood is different. Brotherhood is loyalty. Brotherhood is duty. Brotherhood is the collection of shared trials. Anyone fortunate enough to stand close to him learned this.”

Caleb Chilcutt, former UVU TPUSA President, spoke about how Charlie Kirk influenced him and political culture in general. Chilcutt said, “Charlie had a way of making people believe that they are capable of something more. And this room, and all of us here today are proof of that.” Calling it the “worst act I have ever seen,” Chilcutt spoke out about the violence he witnessed and about the courage he and others found in the aftermath of the shooting.

Following Chilcutt, TPUSA chief of staff Mikey McCoy took the stage. He spoke about his experience with Charlie the morning of September 10th, describing his interactions with Kirk before the shooting. “I vividly remember him so excited. The anticipation we all felt for the kick-off of the biggest campus tour yet. His pure joy when he saw the enormous crowd here at UVU. Then the whiplash, going from such shared joy and excitement to the most unfathomable heartbreak imaginable.”

The second-to-last speaker was Michael Knowles, a prominent political commentator and friend of Charlie Kirk. He focused on how Charlie’s death has affected American politics in the past year. Referring to what has changed, he said, “The American right is less coherent, less unified, less serious, and less strong. The American left is more radical, more emboldened, more openly violent. The tone of political discourse is coarser” since Kirk’s death. Knowles also expressed his concerns about young people becoming more open to using violence as a way to achieve political goals.

Glenn Beck, the final speaker, delivered perhaps the most anticipated address of the night. Compared with Knowles’s remarks, Beck’s speech struck a more positive and hopeful tone, focusing on Kirk’s legacy and his supporters. “Charlie’s message was of the one God, and it was not hate. It was love, and it was the pure love of Christ which, by the way, is not soft. It’s not sentimental, and believe me, the love of Christ will absolutely tell you when you’re wrong.”

Outside the event, there was a different atmosphere. Students from UVU’s Students for a Democratic Society chapter and the Community Defense Club gathered to express their disapproval for Charlie Kirk’s viewpoints and what they view as the college’s endorsement of his memorialization.

Collin Grannis, founder of the UVU chapter of SDS, said, “We as Students for a Democratic Society at UVU call for the campus president and the rest of the UVU admin to denounce the memorial and to promise the community that a permanent Kirk memorial is not put on the UVU campus.”

Kirk’s presence at UVU last year drew protest. Following the shooting, many members of the campus community have been left grappling with the trauma that comes with experiencing violence at their university.

Hunter Kozak, the UVU student who was speaking with Kirk when the shooting occurred, said the political atmosphere has changed differently depending on where he is.

“I think that the Turning Point chapter here and other political organizations have had a very deliberate attempt at having the hard conversations about how to memorialize a complex figure and what freedom of speech actually looks like on campus,” Kozak said.

Inside his classes, however, Kozak says he has experienced something different: “It’s become a taboo topic, and I don’t know how healthy that is,” he said. “I obviously understand that it’s a hard balance to make, especially when so many people are traumatized, but speaking as one of those traumatized people, it feels alien how little we acknowledge it.” Kozak also recalled that his first class after the shooting began with the message that “the best we can do is move on” before immediately returning to the lesson.

At the same time, Kozak did commend one specific part of UVU’s response: the counseling services he received after the event. “I want to shout out UVU for a year of free therapy,” he said. “My therapist here is incredible and I highly suggest anyone who feels traumatized to advocate for yourself and request help.”

UVU provides support to students with mental health concerns through UVU Mental Health Services. Students are provided with assessment and treatment for a variety of mental health concerns; they offer therapy in a number of formats including individual therapy, group therapy, and couple’s therapy. Schedule an appointment at: uvu.edu/studenthealth/psych