A Superb Conference
For the OG Tin Can Conservative Readers, you may remember the last time I attended the Student Action Summit (SAS) in December 2020.
Well, Turning Point USA (TP USA) decided to move the Student Action Summit from its traditional date in late December to July. So, I’m pretty lucky that I’ve gone to SAS two times in just a 7 month span. As enjoyable as SAS was last December, it was definitely much better this time around in its 7th annual SAS.
For those unfamiliar with SAS, it is the premier conservative youth conference in the United States. SAS is a four day gathering where several thousand students (ages 15-26) and adults can hear speeches from leading members of the conservative movement. Moreover, this “Conservative Woodstock” is an excellent place to connect with conservative students across the country and to learn more about the various organizations that aid conservative high school and college students (i.e. FEE, Run Gen Z, Campus Reform, etc).
I hate to brag, but here were just some of the top speakers at this year’s 7th annual Student Action Summit: Governor Ron DeSantis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Senator Ted Cruz, Kayleigh McEnany, Greg Gutfeld, Senator Rick Scott, Dr. Ben Carson, Don Trump Jr, Congressman Byron Donalds, Congressman Madison Cawthorn, Candance Owens, Sebastian Gorka, Brandon Tatum, Michael Knowles, Jesse Waters, and many more!
Sure, it was pretty cool to meet and hear from such renowned conservative figures. However, the best part of SAS is getting to connect with other like-minded, conservative students. It’s truly empowering to meet other students who are outspoken, authentic conservatives in some of the most anti-conservative places in America: from Cal-Berkeley to Minneapolis.
At times, it can feel pretty lonely being a conservative student on a college campus when you hear constant anti-Christian, anti-American, and anti-free market rhetoric from one’s professors, classmates, and administrators. That’s where Turning Point USA comes in. TP USA gives free-thinking students (not just conservatives) a place to share one’s ideas and beliefs without the threat of condemnation for not kowtowing to leftist orthodoxy.
Conferences like SAS remind conservative students that we aren’t fighting the good fight alone. There are thousands upon thousands of conservative students who are standing up for what’s true, good, and beautiful on campuses across the country.
All right. With that diatribe aside, I’ll share some of my favorite stories from SAS 2021. Get ready, and buckle up because it’ll be a fun ride.
A “Best Hits” of SAS 2021: A Great Story from Each Day
Day 1: Meeting John Doyle and Elijah Schaeffer
SAS 2021 started off with quite a bang. When I arrived in Tampa for SAS, I met up with a few friends for lunch before the conference began. After we finished lunch, I walking toward the Tampa Convention Center to register for SAS. Then, a familiar face passed me on the street. It was none other than John Doyle—the rising Conservative YouTuber himself!
Of course, I had to say something. So, I said “You’re John Doyle!” He then replied “What’s up, gamer!” So, I asked him if I could take a picture with him. He agreed, but he told me to walk with him since he going to meet up with someone. What followed was even more epic
John and I chatted a little bit before we met up with another conservative YouTuber—Elijah Schaeffer. Elijah is the host of the Blaze Podcast & YouTube show Slightly Offensive. I was in complete awe because I’m a huge fan of both of their YouTube channels.
I couldn’t believe that I met John and Elijah even before I registered for the conference. The pictures above illustrate my utter astonishment as I talked with such based conservatives dudes. So, I am glad to report that John’s friend Aldo let me take a picture with the two of them.
After taking a quick picture, something even more surprising happened. John and Elijah let me grab lunch with them at a nearby restaurant! How could this day get any better? It couldn’t. I didn’t want to impose on these guys, but they still wanted me to tag along. I won’t go into detail about our lunch-time conversation, but the overall experience was both implausible and incredible. I still can’t believe that I met and conversed at-length with two of my favorite commentators in the political sphere.
Again, this whole experience occurred before I even registered for the conference! There was no better way to kick-off SAS 2021 than getting to meet John Doyle and Elijah Schaeffer.
Day 2: “It was Just a Prank, Bro!” YouTuber Cassady Campbell
On the 2nd day of the conference, YouTuber Cassady Campbell pranked me.
I didn’t know who he was beforehand. But, Cassady is a guy who pulls pranks on unsuspecting people in public and then posts the reactions on his YouTube channel.
The prank occurred during lunchtime as my friend Gabby and I were eating outside of the Tampa Convention Center.
While we were sitting at an outdoor table, Cassady and his “parole officer” approached my friend and me. He told me that he wanted to go to the conference but his parole officer wouldn’t let him in. He then proceeded to show me his ankle monitor.
I tried to play it cool because I still thought that Cassady was an actual convict.
After conversing for about a minute, Cassady told me “Watch this!” and then bolted for the Convention Center. Then his “parole officer” chased him down before he could break into SAS.
I was not about to go chase after Cassady, so I just got and told my friend that we should leave. I didn’t want to further engage this weird dude/potential convict.
Our other friends came outside to get some food, and we told them about the whole situation. I wanted to go back inside the Convention Center to avoid dealing with this convict.
Cassady and his “parole officer” walked back toward my friend Gabby and myself to inform us of the prank. We were both relived
Day 3: Attending a Run Gen Z Breakout Session
The last full-day of the conference was fairly informative for me.
I decided to attend a breakout session for the political organization Run Gen Z.
I briefly discussed Run Gen Z in a post a month or so ago. Consequently, I’ll just say that Run Gen Z helps young conservatives run for public office on the state and local level.
Before SAS, I reached out to a member of Run Gen Z—Ebo Entsuah. He’s a councilman in Clermont, Florida. I asked him about the Run Gen Z breakout session, and he provided me with some valuable information about the organization’s upcoming breakout session. Consequently, I decided to.
The breakout session consisted of two parts—a panel and Q&A session. The panel members—three representatives of Run Gen Z—answered questions about running for office and discussed their personal experiences in campaigning.
During the audience Q&A, I was able to ask the panel one question: how can I run for office if my local GOP doesn’t have meetings/really do anything?
One lady on the panel answered my question quite bluntly. “How is that stopping you from running for office?” That reply hit home. I realized that my hesitancy about running for public office comes from within. It has nothing to do with how incompetent my local GOP is.
Overall, I gained plenty of valuable insight from this breakout session!
Day 4: Saying Goodbye
The Final Day of SAS was bitter-sweet. Fond memories, close connections, and robust encouragement were all gained during SAS 2021.
After Candance Owens closed out SAS 2021, I sadly had to say goodbye to my awesome group from SAS—Caleb, Ashley, Gabby, Melissa, and Sophia. I was so surprised to find such a wonderful group of people to spend time with at SAS. They somehow put up with my old-school manner, my hot takes, and anti-libertarian barbs throughout the conference.
I just wanted to thank them and everyone else who made SAS 2021 such an excellent experience for me. To close, I wanted to include some photos from conference. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
