Join Roger in this week's Liberty + Leadership Podcast as he speaks with three 2023 TFAS alumnae: Tiffany Parasca, Deniza Toma and Lyrah Panarigan, during the 2023 TFAS Leadership Summit in Park City, Utah.
Tiffany, Deniza and Lyrah each discuss their respective paths leading to TFAS as well as the powerful impact the TFAS Academic Internship Program had on them. They explore their eventful summer in Washington, D.C., the meaningful friendships they forged, and the lessons learned that they are now applying in both their academic and professional lives.
Tiffany Parasca is a student at Arizona State University, majoring in public service and public policy, with an emphasis on law policy. She is also minoring in Romanian. Deniza Toma is a student at Arizona State University, majoring in civic and economic thought leadership. Lyrah Panarigan is a student at Arizona Christian University, double majoring in communications and political science. She is also minoring in biblical studies. All three guests were part of the Young Alumni Fellowship at the annual TFAS Leadership Summit in Park City, Utah.
The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS President Roger Ream and produced by kglobal. If you have a comment or question for the show, please drop us an email at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.
Join Roger in this week's Liberty + Leadership Podcast as he speaks with three 2023 TFAS alumnae: Tiffany Parasca, Deniza Toma and Lyrah Panarigan, during the 2023 TFAS Leadership Summit in Park City, Utah.
Tiffany, Deniza and Lyrah each discuss their respective paths leading to TFAS as well as the powerful impact the TFAS Academic Internship Program had on them. They explore their eventful summer in Washington, D.C., the meaningful friendships they forged, and the lessons learned that they are now applying in both their academic and professional lives.
Tiffany Parasca is a student at Arizona State University, majoring in public service and public policy, with an emphasis on law policy. She is also minoring in Romanian. Deniza Toma is a student at Arizona State University, majoring in civic and economic thought leadership. Lyrah Panarigan is a student at Arizona Christian University, double majoring in communications and political science. She is also minoring in biblical studies. All three guests were part of the Young Alumni Fellowship at the annual TFAS Leadership Summit in Park City, Utah.
The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS President Roger Ream and produced by kglobal. If you have a comment or question for the show, please drop us an email at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.
Hello and welcome. I'm Roger Reem and this is the Liberty and Leadership Podcast a conversation with T-FAS alumni, supporters, faculty and friends who are making a real impact in public policy, business, philanthropy, law and journalism. Today I'm joined by three recent T-FAS alumni Lyra Paneregan, Denizha Tomah and Tiffany Parasca. Lyra is a student at Arizona Christian University and Denizha and Tiffany both attend Arizona State University. These three students participated in a T-FAS academic internship program in the summer of 2023 in Washington DC. Today we're recording in Park City, Utah, during our T-FAS Leadership Summit. Lyra, Denizha and Tiffany are here as part of our Young Alumni Fellowship Track. At the summit Today we'll be hearing from them about their experience in T-FAS this past summer, about their internships, classes and lectures, what they've learned and how they're taking those lessons back to their campuses and into their careers. Thank you for joining us and thank you for being on the podcast today.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having us yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, why don't I start with you? Lyra, could you just tell me a little briefly in by way of introduction about your major and where you're from and your background?
Speaker 2:I'm a senior at Arizona Christian University. I'm a double major in communications and political science with an emphasis, and a minor in biblical studies. I interned with Daily Caller in the summer, which was a lot of fun. Thank you, t-fas, for the internship and I'm originally from the White Union.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wonderful. I'm curious how you learned about the T-FAS program at Arizona, christian.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Laura Kusak was a Pistin come up to our campus and talk about the program, but unfortunately she couldn't make it. But we had a bunch of flyers around campus and my professor Campbell, who was department chair at the time, he sent it out to all the political science majors and was like hey you should try this out, and I was like okay. So I signed up, was like, okay, let's give it a shot. And then I got it. And so Laura's history from that.
Speaker 1:And where is Arizona Christian University? Yes, some people might not know it's a small Christian university in Glendale Arizona.
Speaker 2:Really wonderful college. We focus a lot on the little Vialanda having a biblical curriculum set.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Now Tiffany, why don't you tell us a little about your background?
Speaker 3:Yes, so I'm currently at Arizona State University. I am majoring in public service and public policy, with an emphasis on law policy, then also minoring in Romanian, which is one of the only programs in the country that has a Romanian minor. I was born in California, lived in Texas for a bit, then moved back to California and different places in Arizona. Ultimately, I settled in Arizona and yeah.
Speaker 1:Wonderful, wonderful. And how do you hear about it at ASU? Yeah, t-fest program.
Speaker 3:Well, deniza, um, she told me that she heard about it at ASU and she was like you should totally try and apply for this. And at first I was like I don't think I'd get it. I don't have any like other prior experience, like any other internships under my wing, so I was like let's just put that aside, we'll think about it again. And Deniza told me she was starting to apply.
Speaker 3:She was asking me like a few questions and then I see, really applied without telling my family or anybody that was gonna apply. So it's like I'd be miserable if someone like if I were to tell people and I didn't get accepted for this internship, so it's like I'm not gonna say anything about it. And um, I got the email, I got accepted and I called Deniza and I'm like I need you to open your email right now, tell me if you see anything. And she was like, oh my gosh, I got accepted. So I figured out about T-Fest through Deniza.
Speaker 1:We both applied to senior and you got accepted the same day. Yes, okay, okay. And Deniza, what's your major at ASU?
Speaker 4:So my major is Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. Short schedule is the acronym um. Yeah, that's my major, but I found out about T-Fest. Actually I was interning at the courts. Um, it was a legislative internship at the Supreme Court at the time and I was being with Supreme Court of Arizona right. Yes, State Supreme.
Speaker 1:Court.
Speaker 4:And, um, and I was meeting with my internship advisor who had helped me figure out the internship that I was currently at, and she pulled out a flyer and it was the T-Fest flyer and she was like you should apply for this. And I was like I'm not sure. I'm very close to my family. I'm not sure if I want to go to DC for a whole summer. And I was just thinking about it for a while. And then I met with Laura and I loved her and I loved what the organization stood for, so I applied and I got it and yeah, it worked out very exciting.
Speaker 4:And then actually, while I was at the court, I was meeting with Justice Bollack, because he was just he invited all of us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let me just clarify. That's Clint Bollack. Yes, justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, who is a T-Fest alum.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I didn't know that and I have been applying to T-Fest while, like during the internship, and he just invited us it was me and two other interns at the court to come see his office to talk with him and, um, he was asking us what we each wanted to do and I said I wanted to go into the political realm and everything, and then he said you should apply for T-Fest. I'm an alum and I'm teaching in front of this Auguster. What?
Speaker 4:I've done and I was like, wait a second, everything's connected in here. And so then I applied and I was like this is the club saying Justice in the Supreme Court told me, yeah, so yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, now I'd like to shift a little and just find out a little bit about your TFS experiences. Lyra, you said you entered at the Daily Caller Foundation and I know all the students you took some classes or a class. Tell me a little about kind of the general terms about that experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I was part of the journalism and communications track so entering the Daily Caller was quite the experience. I got newsroom daily rundowns getting to know how reporters think, feel, report, kind of getting to go to the White House press territory hearings, which was pretty cool being like within walking distance of the White House was epic, Like posting that on my story and getting my friends and they're like, oh my goodness, you're living in summer.
Speaker 4:And I was just like yeah, I know it's really cool.
Speaker 2:And then I took classes at George Mason through TFS. I didn't know much about economics and I hadn't taken an economics course, so I took Professor Bejero's Economics for the Citizen, which was super informational. I kind of wanted a triple major at the end of it and just be like can I be an econ major too? Because just the concepts that you brought up in each class about how free market supports the system of government that we have right now and why it's the best economic system, I never really thought about that in his perspective. And so the way that he explained those concepts in a way that I can understand it, in a way that it applies to me, was super fruitful, and so I took that class and the foreign policy class with Professor Mlodzik.
Speaker 2:Mlodzik, yes, and he was super cool, like getting to know him, getting to hear his experience understanding foreign policy from the very beginning of American founding up to now. Just kind of getting a crash course. It's been a crazy eight weeks with those two classes, but super fruitful, super informational. I took those concepts and things that I've learned back to Canvas here at ECU and connecting those concepts that I've learned to some yeah, good, good.
Speaker 1:Well, I'll go to Denise next. Tell me about your internship and that summer experience.
Speaker 4:So I interned at the family research council, absolutely loved it. I have only the best things to say about the internship. I loved my fellow interns. Laura helped me get it, actually because I had found it a month after the deadline to apply was. So Laura called people that she knew and asked if I could possibly even be considered. And then the next day they called me and the internship advisor at the time told me like, just apply, we'll look at it, we'll get back to you. He basically interviewed me on the phone. That phone call the first time I had talked to him and I got it and it was a blessing. So, yeah, that was a wonderful internship and I was doing research. It was under the government affairs Track, which is exactly what I wanted as well. It was a marriage, family, sexuality very controversial, but I was just doing research.
Speaker 1:And so you were in our business track.
Speaker 4:No, actually I was public policy Public policy.
Speaker 1:OK, but you were in the government affairs department at the family research council.
Speaker 4:Yes and I loved it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, great, wonderful. And which courses did you take?
Speaker 4:So I took economic problems and public policies with Dr Bradley and then I also took American political thought with Dr Boyd and I loved both of them as well. Backing or building on what Lyra said, the economics class actually made me want to major in economics as well, like double major.
Speaker 4:But I decided not to because I'm supposed to graduate soon. But yeah, I just rekindled my love for economics and actually hearing the free market perspective, which I hadn't heard for so long, and it was just, I don't know, very comforting and not comforting, but it builds you up, you're just excited to learn and I love Dr.
Speaker 1:Bradley.
Speaker 4:Yes, exactly, and she's great.
Speaker 1:You've been with her this weekend here in Park City as well. She's wonderful, yeah, good.
Speaker 4:Sat next to her last minute at dinner.
Speaker 1:Wonderful Tiffany, where was your internship?
Speaker 3:I interned on the Hill with Congresswoman Debbie Lesko. It was an amazing experience. I also was very hesitant about it, only because Laura actually was telling me. She said you should apply If you want to work on the Hill. That's an internship you apply to that, separate from going through a T-Fast. She gave me a whole list of organizations I could apply to that were stuff that I like, and she was like you should just give it a shot. And I did.
Speaker 3:Within a few hours I got an email from Brendan, who was my supervisor. He was let's set up a time, let me interview you, and I was so nervous. But it was a wonderful experience. I found so much joy and it was very fulfilling. Which politics gets a very, very bad rep and I mean to some certain extent there is going to be corruption in every single field you work in. But working with Congresswoman Lesko, I found it so fulfilling. I was given a sort of confidence I never expected, even through T-Fast, applying what I actually learned in Dr Bradley's class. So I took economic problems and public policies too, and what I learned helped me when I was supposed to do co-sponsorships for the Congresswoman. So what I learned was free principles and from economics I was able to apply in my internship and it was funny because last night you quoted Henry Hazley and I love Henry Hazley.
Speaker 1:I was first introduced to Right. I got to learn some one lesson.
Speaker 3:I was first introduced to economics in high school, early high school, and we read that book as a class until small liberal arts high school. And hearing that, another quote tonight was very very. It just touched a warm, nice place in my heart.
Speaker 1:Well, when I was your age, my first job out of college was at a place in New York called the Foundation for Economic Education, called FEE, and Henry Hazley lived in Connecticut and he'd come down and lecture at the seminar. So I'd drive up to his house in Wilton, connecticut, and pick him up, sometimes with his wife, and drive them down about an hour or two Irvington, new York, and get a chance to talk to him and spend some of that time reading a number of his books as well. He was a wonderful man and a very prominent economic journalist in his career and he was a great man. Well, that sounds like a good. Do you take just that one class?
Speaker 3:I like that one class and also piggybacking on both. The girl said I also wanted to double major and get a degree in economics, but I I'm a little late for that right. I'm a little late. I'm a little late.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Well, as today, the day we're taping this, the House of Representatives needs a speaker. Is Congressman Lesko interested? And there's?
Speaker 3:She just announced she's stepping down.
Speaker 1:Oh, she's not in her free election, she just fed up with it.
Speaker 3:She wants to spend time with her family.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, ok, can you each, you know, maybe, think of kind of one highlight of the summer that kind of you took with you. Maybe you've already touched on it, so you liar, it might have been going to the White House, I don't know, to cover something, but is there some experience there that kind of really stuck with you and T-Fouse gave me a community and I think that's something that I Definitely stands out from me this summer.
Speaker 2:So the three of us, we were all sweeties in Woodley's heart and so you know, we developed a really good sisterhood and these girls I've gotten to know a little summer and we've kept in touch ever since then we have a whole Instagram chat with.
Speaker 4:Real things we wanted to do because we're all in.
Speaker 2:Arizona, and so we want to meet up and hang out. Getting to know like minded individuals through the T-Fouse community has been super cool as well. Yeah, I think that summer is just was just a great opportunity to make those connections and to get yourself out there. I think those steps are one of the highlight with the different events that T-Fouse had over the summer, like we had guest speakers.
Speaker 2:Letters going to different places. It was a busy summer. We think back at him like whoa, can't believe that actually happened. But it was all, like whoa, that happened and that was cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, grab a lot of day weeks right. Yeah, how about you?
Speaker 4:Honestly, community Wonderful, like we would just stay up talking about different things that we had learned that day or different things that we were watching on the floor that was happening political problems but Also I just feel like the leadership of T-Fouse, like as in the alum, or the leaders, like Laura, honestly was wonderful and so helpful and such a good resource. But also just hearing from the alum, like the alum dinner was my favorite. Networking was very daunting to me initially, but I think that was my favorite dinner to actually network with people and like to get to know what they actually were doing or where they had Been. Organizations that I love, like a I, and see the different connections there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that just Clarify exactly what that is. It's. It's one of my favorite events during the summer. It's we called our alumni roundtable and we probably had about 50 Alumni or more who volunteered to come maybe it's 70 and they have dinner with the students and they then the students have a chance to move around the room and meet alumni based on what career they might be in or what their interests are, and Alumni love doing it and connecting with students, and I think our students love it because they can make a connection and follow up with an Alarm, so that is a highlight event for us. How about you, tiffany?
Speaker 3:I mean, I I'm torn between two. One is community and two is confidence. So community, it was one of the biggest things. Like we girls, we got along so well and even if we didn't agree on everything, we would spend hours, way too long, staying up every night. We got home and we get home late talking about theology, what was going on the floor, any stuff that we were learning and what we were learning in our classes and our lectures, and Even outside of that.
Speaker 3:I've been contacted by T-Fa's Multiple times. We have our alumni event in Phoenix, this opportunity, it's just. There's this idea of a continued education, which is so, so important, and it's very Heartwarming to see that people still care, that people. There's still people like us, people who are younger, who are seen as a minority, and especially at universities we are seen as a minority. To see that there's adults who care and want to help like fulfill our dreams is Honestly one most inspiring things. And then the second one is confidence. I mean it was just we didn't. It's like we have the right tools, we just don't know how to put it together. And then T-Fa's, especially Laura.
Speaker 1:So Laura was my program advisor I don't think that's your last name, but Laura and we, yes, and just all the T-Fa's in general.
Speaker 3:They gave us this confidence that we can do something, and even outside of that, after we're done with school, because we still have a few years left. They were like, just contact us and we will help you find a job. We still want like this best for you and we see that you guys are very Capable and we very much appreciate that. So definitely, confidence is one of the biggest things.
Speaker 1:Good, let me ask you also about any special events you did this summer that you remember being meaningful, because I know is at least the Liberty learning fellowship. Have some events attached to it? You mentioned the Board of Regents event, lyra. Why don't you start?
Speaker 2:Definitely my favorite as well was the victims of communism museum.
Speaker 1:Even though that was a museum.
Speaker 2:until they said it was a museum, it's okay Cool Getting to go there hearing the speaker, who was one of the directors and he was kind of talking about the importance of bringing awareness to. American atrocity communism and hearing that statistic over a hundred million people die because of communism and I've seen that impact and the different stories that were shown in the museum right here in my eye, I wanted to just sit in crime. Just why I just have. No, I'm speechless with. This is not.
Speaker 1:And just kind of how we kind of what that happened well, the director of the museum, elizabeth Spalding, is a teafass alum and I thought, I thought on my podcast. Last year. That ends a wonderful museum. I've been there several times for events and exhibits and we want to encourage all our students to visit there. How about for you, in addition to that museum?
Speaker 4:Yes, on top of that museum. I love that museum as well. My parents were both born in communist Romania, so it hits home, it's. I'm so encouraged to know that it's there and that there's like efforts to educate people on that as well. A E I. We had an A E I briefing and I just I love the organization. I think they're so cool, they they're just cool, and I'm now part of the A E. I will sue to be hopefully part of the A E I collegiate network right and yeah, so it's just.
Speaker 4:It was cool to be exposed to that. We had a briefing and it was about opioids and different like drug problems in America and it was very interesting I knew nothing about it before that, but it was just very interesting came out with a leather drug Exactly. So, um yeah, just the different events that we were able to go to with the fellowship delivery and learning fellowship, it was just so cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Tiffany.
Speaker 3:One of my favorites were the luxury series hosted on Capitol Hill with senator Rand Paul. We met we met senator Rand Paul, tulsi gathered. There was a few other people, but especially the one, senator Rand Paul, where we talked about the case for limited government. That was probably one of the most prominent lecture series that stood out to me. He just he was very eloquent with his words and explained it to people and there was you could definitely tell there was people in the crowd who are who very much disagreed with him. You could tell by the questions that they asked. And then after was. I was curious because, like, when you leave we have to go to the other, because we were on the set and we had to go to the house. So on the subway people were talking about it and we were sitting. I was sitting in a little group with people who disagreed with him, so we had a little bit of a I mean it was peaceful.
Speaker 3:It was yes and I mean we also got to go to the district of convia court of appeals.
Speaker 2:You gotta meet a judge there, ginsburg.
Speaker 3:So that was also another interesting part of us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, jug Douglas Ginsburg. He was nominated to the supreme court by president Reagan but he didn't get confirmed. But the other Rand Paul lectures were excellent. This summer I remember Marty McCleary, the doctor from Johns.
Speaker 1:Hopkins talking about cobit and mad taibi on the twitter files, and so, yeah, we invite every we sent flyers on that every office on Capitol Hill you know republican democrat and get you know several hundred to 300 Interns at those programs and they can be some lively q&a sessions afterwards too. So good, I'm glad you took advantage of that. I was going to ask you kind of what, what things you may have carried back, uh, that have ever been that have come up, say in the classroom or on campus, that you drew from this experience at t-fast. Are there some things, either Things from economic courses, concepts that you've used in classes, or is it more confidence as a leader on campus? Can you comment on things that, maybe how it's changed you in terms of that campus life?
Speaker 1:yeah, um go ahead, Tiffany of course.
Speaker 3:So um this semester I'm taking what is Europe? It's a it's s cel 429 and um We've, so we have to our classes only presentation based. So you present and talk for 10 minutes and that's your grade and you do it two times and almost all my classes are presentation based. But having the opportunity, which I never would expect, we went to guest lectures every single week during the eight weeks. And I was able to pull.
Speaker 3:So much information on like their formats and like the way they talk, the way they address people, and I was able to take that into my presentations that I've been doing, especially this semester.
Speaker 1:Yeah, good, good, denisa.
Speaker 4:This is, I think, more specific, I guess, but in Professor Borden's class there was a concept called South Despotism.
Speaker 4:And I actually debated it with Professor Boyd in class, but I keep talking about it. I feel like people just hear me talk about it all the time now. But basically, a philosopher Tocqueville, french philosopher, wrote Democracy in America talks about this idea that, like, the more that the government steps in, the more that people just willfully abdicate their role as citizens and just allow the government to take that role. But the government doesn't do it very well, and so there's this problem where citizens just rely on the government for everything and it just continues to grow. As citizens just see that as the normal thing, and that's something that I feel like applies in civil life, political life, like literally every aspect of your life. If you allow other people, including the government or just other people around you, to step in and take the roles that you are like your God given roles to do in your life, then you're not fulfilling your purpose correctly, and so yeah that's just something that I keep talking about.
Speaker 1:That's a great point. I'll get back to you, Lyra, I haven't forgotten. But I want to pursue that for a minute because this is a theme that came to my mind last night listening to Gerard Baker of the Wall Street Journal, who spoke last night and he talked about he felt like it was in the 60s and 70s. Americans became sorry developing this attitude of feeling entitled.
Speaker 1:And we used to have this concept in our country that Tocqueville observed, of kind of self-reliance, and it doesn't mean this kind of individualism where we didn't have community, because he noticed that he observed how Americans very much had this commitment to forming associations to get things done and really active in their community, but they were also self-reliant. They didn't say I'm going to rely on the government. And what struck me about you said, is that we've structured this soft despotism now that if a person wanted to and there are people who live this way they can live their whole life dependent on government for a, whether it's welfare, all sorts of support, and all the way up through till they die, healthcare, social security, everything. And I wonder, if you get to the end of your life and you've lived your life that way, have you lived a life that's really been flourishing? And are we denying people, in a way they're human dignity if we give them actually live that way? And so I think that's great. You're pursuing these ideas now at ASU, at Scattle, and your classes.
Speaker 2:Good, lyra, now we can add on to you. Well, we guess lecture during T-Fast, david Bonson. He talked about human flourishing and how that kind of coincides with free market, and so I just thought it was really interesting to compare the two and, like now that you're adding on to that, I was just like whoa, like police connections are just going to make my life.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:So a highlight or something that I've taken from my T-Fast experience would be the confidence factor on campus.
Speaker 2:So I run the other schools paper, strong Home Media, and something that I've always kind of been really self-conscious about was I was just very attentive, not really a strong decision maker, wasn't really sure about where to go things and how to do the bad things.
Speaker 2:And then T-Fast, you guys had the mentor program over the summer and my mentor, victoria Sincertio, shouts to you. She built my confidence up so much. She gave me a lot of opportunities. She was super strong and give me advice on how to go about being a journalist, how to go about making life decisions or just career paths. Talking about it with her and being able to experience and learn from her experiences was really really fruitful. And so now on campus, getting the experience from daily call, where the lessons that I've learned from T-Fast and classes I've just kind of not necessarily have like a chip on my shoulder or anything, but I come with a lot more to bring to the table, which was giving me a lot more grounds to stand on. So when I'm with my friends or in leadership meetings or with my club, I'm a stronger delegator now because of that, and yeah, it's just been really helpful up in there.
Speaker 1:Do you think the T-Fast experience of summer has in any way influenced kind of the decision you make in terms of your career direction? You talked about it could have influenced your majors and all, but in terms of what you're thinking about in your career.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so. I originally wanted to be a journalist. That was like my hardcore goal ever since middle school, which was journalists, journalists, journalists, news anchor. But I went to the Daily Caller and I was like, okay, cool, I love journalism, I love the aspects of it, but I love research more.
Speaker 2:I love getting being able to crush the numbers for one of my articles that I wrote. I wrote an article on match sheeting and match sheeting data and match statistics and I just loved being able to analyze those numbers. And so with that I was like, okay, I love research, but what do I want to research? And so now I'm working with Dr Barna of the Cultural Research Center at Arena University and he's been teaching me how to do social research, basically Like, okay, here are surveys, here's how to do data analysis, all that stuff, and I loved every single minute of it. So that was kind of my switch with T-Fast, but I'm still thankful for the opportunity to work with the Daily Caller, but it was also something that helped me realize where I wanted to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, good Denise, what is that?
Speaker 4:I wouldn't say that T-Fast changed my career trajectory.
Speaker 4:But I would say that I'm still unsure on my career trajectory. But I've always known, or at least for a little while now know, that I wanted to work somewhere in the political realm and I think I'm noticing more that like somewhat like civil society is very much my focus, or like growing that and growing the institutions that allow us to, like I don't know, build up American values Like civic education and all of that. So I just continue to learn more about what I'm interested in. But also even, just like today and recently, I've been thinking about possibly graduate school or I'm not sure, just speech writing.
Speaker 4:That's kind of a really cool opportunity or like a focus of mine now, and I really like the lady from Free the Facts. I don't remember her name, but she was the Laura Henderson I believe.
Speaker 1:What's that? Laura Henderson? Okay, yeah.
Speaker 4:Okay, that's her name.
Speaker 1:She spoke this summer.
Speaker 4:Yes, and she was a speech writer for all of these candidates and out of everyone who spoke to us, I was like the most attracted to how she like portrayed her job, her career, the different things that she did, and so, yeah, I'm still unsure on what I want to do, but taking steps, I think, in the right direction, and I feel like T-Fast is always like going to be like a wonderful program that I know I can always like ask questions or reach out to people, or I just have all these connections now, which is crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:But yeah.
Speaker 1:Tiffany.
Speaker 3:I mean I've always been somewhere between somewhere in law or somewhere in politics and I mean I think after this internship, I think I zeroed in more specifically on wanting to go somewhere to the political realm and I was thinking of research, which I would have never expected myself to research.
Speaker 3:And just recently I told my grandma about this internship my grandma's Romanian, so I'm just trying to explain to her like the way the education system works in the US and not communist Romania, and it's just very hard to like push it like on her, I guess. And she I told her I was like, yeah, I was thinking somewhere in like political research, and she started laughing. She's like I never would expect you to go anywhere near politics, cause I used to want to be a doctor. But I think after this, after this internship, I felt like I was. I discovered somewhat of a talent that I have and a drive for it, and I don't know I'm obviously at these skills that you'd be refined. I'm still young, but I think I have the right tools and the right people around me that push me in a good direction.
Speaker 1:When did your grandmother leave Romania? She was 53 when she left, and was that after the end of communism or during?
Speaker 3:So she saw the fall of communism and lived through communism and when they were trying to institute democracy. So it was a very rough decade for her Decades, honestly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, wow, the I was gonna ask about you've all mentioned, you know, how the T-Fest experience sparked an interest in economics. I'm curious about, on your campuses kind of, what are attitudes of students? Are they mostly uninterested about kind of the free market system or, I'll say, capitalism? Do they look at it favorably or unfavorably? Have you you know what's the kind of general thought I feel like I have? Yeah, I'm at Arizona, christian, I'm at a conservative Christian college.
Speaker 2:I would say that because my school is conservative Christian like we don't necessarily have hardcore debates on free market versus the deity of Jesus you know, and so we do have a turning point. Usa chapter and we actually just talked about socialism.
Speaker 2:on Thursday we were kind of talking about like this is what it is, here's why it's bad and everything like that. And kind of the consensus that I got from students because such a small number of students actually came to that meeting was because we already know that's a good thing, we don't need to learn more about it. But I think that's that shouldn't be, that shouldn't be means to just stop just because we know. Okay, free market is good, but understanding why it is so. I think that's kind of my attitude towards it and I feel the campus would reflect that same thing as well. I think we should further education as to why free market is essential and why it's so important. And this is what I'm not really living right now. So to me, that's all I'm not.
Speaker 1:I know. Asu is a large public university with quite a range of different people. When I last visited ASU there was in the kind of open area of the campus. There was one table set up. It was like the young socialist alliance passing out or it was a Bernie Sanders thing or something. I almost stopped by to talk to him. But I said you know, I'll keep going, we'll find it. Asu, our most, probably most students don't really engage on those issues, and or do they? I mean just think they're.
Speaker 4:So it depends where you are. It's a massive university, but my major is very political or focused on political issues, and I'm in a class actually called debating capitalism, so that's been an interesting class so far.
Speaker 1:And you got a range of views.
Speaker 4:Yes, it attracts like a lot of different views. There's some people that I would probably coin like actually communists, and then some people that are very like free market libertarian, some people that are more conservative. So it's a very interesting conversation every class period, but it's different, definitely hostile so, and I would say that the majority of the opinion is against free markets.
Speaker 1:So how about does the professor kind of play it straight down the middle and try to just engage people? And trying to yes, actually.
Speaker 4:Which is like unexpected for ASU.
Speaker 4:But, he does a good job, but he allows us to debate whatever we really want to, so it's a very much just every class. It's basically debating just modern day capitalism, even though we do have reading for every class. But so, yeah, it's interesting. But to build on what Lyra was saying, I think it is important for people that are like in support of free market economics to be able to know why and to be able to defend that, because I'm sitting in my classroom and I've been equipped with the tools to defend free markets and to defend all of that.
Speaker 4:But it's daunting if you, even if you have the tools and even if you understand why free market, free market economics actually makes more sense and actually is like a logical conclusion and not this careless, monstrous ideal. And so even for me it's hard to debate people, but I have been able to grow my confidence in that because I think a lot because of Dr Bradley and T fast and hearing all these insanely intelligent people talk about free market economics that I really respect.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, Well, today at lunch we heard from Melanie Sturm, who has engaged to win, and she gave us six rules for persuasion.
Speaker 4:I'm going to use that in my class, yeah.
Speaker 1:To make sure that you show people you care and start by saying something like I worry about poor people in the plight of poor people in this country. But how about you, Tiffany, To say to me I got Tiffany.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so, yes, I too go to ASU and we are definitely seen as a minority. Especially out in, like the ASU courtyards, you will see people who call themselves communists and I sometimes, every once in a while, I'll engage with them. I just ask them questions because I'm just genuinely shocked how someone will come to such a conclusion that this is the right answer. And this semester I'm taking a class if there's only one other suit in my class, and it's Romani class, romani culture and we're talking a lot about Chau Chai School, who was the dictator of Romani yeah, so they're in communist, communist regime. And I, every single time, like we learn stuff about it, like I'm almost I'm brought to tears, like both my parents were from communist, my grandparents were on both sides.
Speaker 3:And when I go on the ASU campus and see that these people have such firm beliefs that this is the right answer, and even today during our talks, people say that communism sounds like, or in second, any socialism government, that this sounds practically like it would be the right answer for people Like you're saying all the right things people want to hear, but practically it just doesn't work. It there's no way it could work. You would have to be a robot with no idea of what you want, of no personality, no wants, no desires. That's the only way communism could actually work.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I wish I could recall exactly the quote that was put on the board by Melanie of Thomas soul. He said you know, socialism sounds great, that's bad in practice.
Speaker 1:But in practice it doesn't, it's never worked and it's come with great human cost on top of that. So you hear a lot as well on surveys about students feeling they have to self censor and where they might get their grade lowered or get canceled or lose a friendship if they're conservative at least. Is that kind of if you found in any classes that you have to self censor, or most professors pretty open to hearing the diverse range of opinions, or even in your social life on campus? I mean, how does that work? Is what's been your experience with that?
Speaker 2:I want you guys to do that. Yeah, you probably don't have to. I see you. I'm sorry, yeah, well.
Speaker 1:I mean, maybe it's not a problem at your schools.
Speaker 3:I mean to some certain extent it is you can automatically.
Speaker 3:First time in the class I could already tell somewhat like the political affiliation of my teachers and the problem is sometimes they'll push their agenda, which you can choose to have whatever opinion you want, and then we can choose to discuss it.
Speaker 3:But when they push it on you, that's when I just have to take a breath and then we have debates in class and usually I mean I'm not too scared but I will tiptoe around the subject if I want to share my opinion. But most of my social life there there is not many Republican or conservative students that I usually talk to. But the thing is I'm able to have good discussions with people who are on the opposite side of the spectrum and it's not they're not always the most fruitful, but I still engage with them and it's I'm still able to have friendships with them. But it gets to a point where it's just not as fruitful. But I honestly think it's on their end. They kind of put up a barrier that this is just not gonna happen because we disagree so Like big on such like important topics to them.
Speaker 3:So, it just gets to a point where our relationship just grows. To a certain extent they put me for coffee, will hang out a few times, but it just never gets to a point where it's. I don't see it being a long-lasting relationship.
Speaker 1:Anything to add?
Speaker 4:Honestly, within my major there is like a free, open discourse. We're allowed to disagree with each other. We all have like the little library where we all just like bounce ideas, disagreeing and it's it's actually very, very fulfilling. But Within a lot of my classes, especially debating capitalism, which is offered by my major, but it just attracts a lot of different types of people um, I, that is probably the, the class where I felt the most where I had to substance her, but I choose not to, or I choose to try not to. There's definitely the overwhelming majority of the classes definitely like in opposition to anything free market and it's almost like laughable to them that anyone would think that. And so it's hard because it's people coming out. It was such like a like a Emotional perspective and I don't usually come at things with an emotional perspective, so it's hard to combat that and hard to like not get riled up as well.
Speaker 4:So that's something that I'm learning, but I think it's good to be forced to learn that in a classroom setting.
Speaker 1:So yeah, well, good, I think all three of you got scholarship support to come To our program and we're very grateful to donors who contribute that and provide these scholarships. Was that essential for you in order to attend?
Speaker 2:Yes super thankful. That was basically my Dear God. It's me like I thought it great, but I can only get. I can only do this if it's fully provided, because I don't have many means to do that. And so as soon as I open the scholarship decision, I was like oh, oh, oh, whoa.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I had a moment of like wow, this is seriously happening and Super thankful for it, for the donors and being here in Park City and getting to talk to some of them and talking to the alumni as well that have donated and given. I'm reminded of that Biblical passage.
Speaker 2:I can't remember the address, I'm a child and the way they should go and we'll be able to park from it. And so I've heard a little bit firmly believe that these donors and these alumni are almost kind of following that scripture of Already, like we have the resources that you take care and to help grow these kids To be the leaders that God has called them to be. And so with that, like I just have a hard appreciation, gratitude towards the donors that have given their time and their efforts to help us succeed, and so, yeah, very thankful.
Speaker 1:Well, it relates back to Tocqueville, right yeah?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I've ruined. Gotta do their part.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:But yeah, I very much agree with Lyra I, I think I even told Laura on the phone. Well, I was asking her about the different scholarships that were offered and everything, and I was. I basically said I'm going to apply, I'm very excited about this, but I'm going to be perfectly candid if I, if I don't get the full scholarship, I cannot attend. And that was something that I gave myself as a rule because I just I'm a college student, I'm in debt. So I ended up getting the full scholarship and I wasn't expecting it to be very, very honest. But very blessed to have gone, very blessed to have the donors poured their resources and time into growing T-Fast and into allowing us to have the opportunity.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and Tiffany, you are a regent scholar, which is our board of regents donates to provide some scholarship support to students as well. Did you get a chance to meet the regents this summer? I did. We had a lunch together.
Speaker 3:And it was such an amazing experience to meet them, and few of them are actually here right now. Yes it was there necessary connect them and they remembered who I was, which was was very meaningful, like it's also goes back to the T-Fast and like the connection aspect. But if I didn't get any sort of scholarship funding I couldn't have done it. I mean, I came for a pretty tough financial position I, when I was 18, right away from my home and I actually moved in with the needs us and she's like my proxy sister.
Speaker 3:So, yes, so if I honestly didn't get any sort of scholarship funding, I wouldn't have been able to do this opportunity and it had a lot of fruit to bear and I mean it was right before me. I was praying before like I got, I was getting stressed. I was like I don't know what to do. I was like I don't know if I should go to like even like apply for the scholarship. In the next day I got that email.
Speaker 1:It's like let's do a Tiffany or a girl, me and I saw God's like.
Speaker 3:Even it was a good amount for the scholarship but luckily for my schooling so far I've planned it out with some sort of like, some sort of like trajectory.
Speaker 1:Not getting to that for it, yeah but well, you just have to remember now that our donors, who provide the scholarship support, expect great things from you.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, yes, we've heard all their.
Speaker 1:About. You know, just you know trying to help develop honorable leaders and courageous leaders, and I have no question in my mind that the three of you were, that our decision to accept you and our program was a wise one, and you took full advantage of all the opportunities this summer and you're back in campus, fully engaged in various different ways, and so much, so glad that you're here with us this weekend in Park City, utah, and it's been a pleasure to talk with you.
Speaker 2:I could.
Speaker 1:I could sit here and talk all afternoon, but it's a beautiful day. Give you some time back before we meet for dinner tonight and we hear from two of our professors, and Bradley and Don Boudreau be joining us for dinner. Yeah, so thank you for being my guest today on the Liberty. Thank you for listening to the Liberty and Leadership podcast. Please don't forget to subscribe, download, like or share the show on Apple, spotify or YouTube or wherever you listen to your Podcasts. If you like this episode, I ask you to rate and review it, and if you have a comment or question for the show, please drop us an email at podcast at tfastorg. Liberty and Leadership podcast is produced at K Global Studios in Washington DC. I'm your host, roger Reed, and until next time, show courage in things large and small.