Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA, addressed the graduating class at Hillsdale College on Saturday following her husband Charlie Kirk’s death in an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Kirk was seen leaving the event in tears after a gunman opened fire.

The speech, delivered to approximately 400 students, came after Kirk’s selection by Hillsdale College due to her husband’s lifelong advocacy for its conservative educational mission. In her address, Kirk urged graduates to “follow in her husband’s footsteps and pursue truth and ‘defend liberty.'” She emphasized that despite the assassination attempt, Charlie Kirk’s spirit endures.

“Through his learning, Charlie was better able to recognize his duty to pursue truth and to defend liberty, and this responsibility he felt to God,” Kirk stated. “He felt it for our family, to our country, and that was born from what he learned.”

She also encouraged students to marry young and live with purpose: “As you continue forward in life, I want you to kind of embrace the similar blueprint of my husband, where he loved to point out that God made us purposeful beings and continue forward in life with clarity and intention.” Kirk accepted an honorary doctorate on behalf of her late husband. The speech drew thunderous applause from the graduating class.

During her address, Kirk criticized conspiracy theorists, including political commentator Candace Owens, who claimed responsibility for Charlie Kirk’s death following the White House event.