Thirteen students and four faculty represented Texas Wesleyan at this year's Texas Tribune Festival, from Sept. 21-23 in Austin. The "TribFest," sponsored by the Texas Tribune, gathered over 300 speakers and approximately 6,000 participants who descended on downtown Austin for three days of over 125 sessions and events examining big ideas and important conversations about the future of Texas and the politics and policy issues facing the United States.

Republican New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu delivered the opening keynote about the future of the Republican Party, while the closing keynote featured U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (W. Va.) who spoke about the possibility of running as an independent in the 2024 presidential election to help bring a polarized nation together.  Between these two high-profile speakers, students and faculty from Texas Wesleyan had the opportunity to engage a diverse range of local, state and national policymakers.

Texas Wesleyan attendees were able to attend sessions with Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and Chief of Police Neil Noakes. After one session with labor and civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, Sumners Scholar and history major Cesar Espino said, "I never thought I'd get to listen to a human rights icon of her stature, much less get to meet her!" 

In addition to the regular sessions and events, Sumners Scholars attended a private screening of "Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down" (2022) ahead of Katie Couric's conversation with Gabby Giffords and her husband, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-Az.) on the issue of gun policy.   

The four Sumners Scholars attending the event were Ben Reckart, Bailey O'Donnell, Aubrey Hansen and Cesar Espino.

Political science students Ariel Armstrong, Karina Calderon, Annie Dukes, Carmen Flores, Arletth Fraga, Abigail Hernandez, Rae Samsill, Iris Sandoval and Cynithia Trujillo also attended. The students were accompanied by social science faculty Cesar Diaz, Brenda Matthews, Alison Simons and Chris Ohan.

The endowed Sumners Scholarship Program was established at Texas Wesleyan University in 1994. Since that time, many Texas Wesleyan students have been honored as Sumners Scholars. The scholarship carries not only a significant stipend but also various opportunities, such as participation in the Texas Tribune Festival and various other events specifically designed to develop Scholars' leadership potential. To learn more about the Sumners Scholarship, visit txwes.edu/sumners. 

For more information about the social sciences at Texas Wesleyan, visit the School of Arts and Sciences page.