“Clubs are open to everyone whether you don’t support or you don’t agree with the values that we present,” Kaitlyn Cabral (10), president of the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) club at Ayala said. “It’s okay that everyone has differences. It’s just how you manage and deal with them that is most important.”
Opinion articles are meant to represent the beliefs of the writer. Thus, there is never a wrong or right perspective–instead, it is vital that both sides of an argument can be equally represented, despite the popular view. Turning Point, historically, has sparked many debates due to its politically driven background, but after interviewing students from the club, their purpose seems to be to educate Bulldogs on what they believe is best for the nation’s economy.
Specifically, after “Is Turning Point USA pushing for neutral student space or political agenda?,” an opinion piece about Turning Point was published on the Bulldog Times, members and officers felt misrepresented by some remarks made about a club whose sole purpose is to promote freedom, free market, and limited government.
Founded by Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist and speaker, and Bill Montgomery, a conservative businessman, TPUSA’s mission is to promote economic reform in the United States based on right-leaning values through non-partisan debate, dialogue, and discussion.
Hoping for an opportunity to speak on behalf of their club based on advisor and club member experiences, officers noted how only one Turning Point member was briefly cited in the article, while the other two interviewees were not active attendees.
“The true perspective is that the club is neutral and that the club is just upholding American values such as the Constitution,” advisor of TPUSA and English 9 Honors teacher Mrs. Kimberly Barreras said.
Additionally, Cabral noted that her goal is to preserve the integrity of TPUSA and to eliminate phrases like “radical” and “raises some concerns,” which may be associated with a political club. Instead, she made clear that TPUSA Ayala, by the standard of Turning Point’s policy, does not condone the representation or promotion of any political candidates or parties.
Oftentimes, TPUSA’s goals are misunderstood due to its conservative background; however, Cabral made it clear that she and her fellow board have no intent to sway students toward one side or another.
According to TPUSA’s 2025 Club Handbook, “Chapters may never campaign for political candidates or aid political campaigns in any manner (donate money, recruit campaign volunteers, etc.).”
Officers further expressed confusion surrounding critiques of TPUSA when it came to credibility, especially concerning the club’s light-hearted parody of the game “The Price is Right.” Members were encouraged to guess the price of American-made products in exchange for prizes; however, they lacked a works cited.
“It’s just a fun way to present the ideas of capitalist things. This is not an English class, so you can use Google to confirm that all the prices were correct because they were, but still, a fun game shouldn’t need works cited to be enjoyed,” Barreras said.
When it comes to the prizes the club was handing out, all messages were aimed to support the organization’s core values, stressing the importance of capitalism and free markets, hence the stickers and pins with phrases ‘Big Gov Sucks’ and ‘Socialism Sucks.’
Most importantly, the officers made clear that the organization and the club have zero intentions of “taking advantage” of their “easily influenced” members.
“You could say the same about many of the other clubs on campus. Our students are impressionable, therefore our club is supporting the fact that we uphold the truth and facts and let students make their own choices,” Barreras said.
In the end, the club extends open arms to all students, regardless of their political beliefs. Encouraging adolescents to explore different views is what makes TPUSA unique from other clubs, and taking part in civilized discussions is what Cabral and her officers stress is vital to exchanging ideas.
“These clubs are what the individual makes out of it and that’s the beauty with political ideas. There’s no wrong side or wrong answer–we have the freedom to believe whatever we want and represent whatever we want,” Alcantara said.
