Thirteen students and four faculty represented Texas Wesleyan at this year's Texas Tribune Festival, from Sept. 5-7 in Austin. The "TribFest," organized by the Texas Tribune and sponsored in part by the Sumners Foundation, 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.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) led the opening keynote with Texas Tribune Co-Founder Evan Smith.  The governor spoke about staying positive in the current political climate while calling out those in both parties who foment or participate in political violence.  The closing keynote featured Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) who spoke with Evan Smith about the upcoming presidential contest and what he considered the deciding issue for voters--inflation.  Between these two high-profile speakers, students and faculty from Texas Wesleyan had the opportunity to engage a diverse range of past and present local, state and national policymakers, including Carl Rove, Nancy Pelosi, Colin Allred, John Bolton, and Alejandro Mayorkas.  Students were on hand to hear Liz Cheney's bombshell that her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney (R) would be voting for Kamala Harris (D) in November. 

In addition to the large events, smaller sessions allowed students to ask questions and meet policymakers and scholars around issues such as the Constitution's separation clause, immigration, election and political disinformation, AI, childcare, healthcare, China, criminal justice, and many more.  Two Wesleyan student participants had the opportunity to meet Nancy Pelosi at the latter's book signing.  Wesleyan Scholars Honors Program student April Herrera Miravete said, "I didn't know what to expect, but I love this event!  I've learned so much about so many important issues and want to bring others to attend next year."

Sumners Scholars were treated to a special lunch session with journalist and historian Garrett Graff, who spoke about his 9/11 oral history, The Only Plane in the Sky. The four Sumners scholarship students attending #tribfest2024 were Aubrey Hansen, Cesar Espino, Mica Magday, and Ariel Armstrong.

The following students from diverse majors across campus, including Political Science, Management, History, Theatre, Business Administration, and Criminal Justice were able to attend the festival, thanks to funding provided through the McCann Student Academic Development Fund: Karina Calderon, Karen Gutierrez, Angelina Coates, Raelynn Samsill, Oluwatosin Akapo, April Herrera Miravete, Gino Martinez, Reagan Fitzgerald, and Michael York.

The students were accompanied by faculty Jill Gerloff, Alison Simons, Eddy Lynton, 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 majors in the social sciences at Texas Wesleyan, visit the School of Arts and Sciences page.