From One Turning Point to Another, Government Student Declares the Love of God

Isabella Keck knew she wanted to be an attorney the moment a classmate’s mom spoke to her third-grade class on Career Day. Today, the 20-year-old Regent University sophomore chases that dream as Vice President of the school’s Turning Point USA chapter, majoring in government on a pre-law track to become a public defender.

A Life and Soul Saved

Yet there was a time when Isabella’s dreams seemed out of reach. Her parents divorced when she was five years old, and her father struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. His arrest when Isabella was in seventh grade caused turmoil in her life that accompanied social difficulties at school. “I had never felt more alone,” she remembers. She grew anxious, depressed, and suicidal. By the end of that school year, she had decided to end her life.

As Isabella began to enact her plan, her mom — prompted by the Holy Spirit — went to her daughter’s room. “She just hugged me and told me she would always love me, and we started talking it out,” Isabella says. “It was a really rough moment for both of us, because she had no idea I was feeling like that, and I had no idea how to tell her. It was really the Lord preserving both of us and our relationship.”

At that point, Isabella was familiar with Jesus. She had faithful Christian grandparents who regularly took her to church, and she even attended a Christian school. But she says she still didn’t know Jesus. Then, at a summer church camp shortly after her lowest moment, everything changed.

“When I got to camp, I felt robotic, and my roommate said I looked dead inside, like I had given up on everything,” Isabella recalls. That roommate spent the entire week ministering to her, using scripture to point out how she was seen and loved by the Lord, until, at a camp chapel service, Isabella accepted Jesus as her Savior.

“I had never felt God’s love like that before,” Isabella says. “I went all in. I decided it didn’t matter what was happening in my life, because Jesus would always be in my corner. I am proud to say today that I stuck to that, and I have truly loved Jesus ever since.”

Within a month of that momentous decision in middle school, Isabella began volunteering in her church’s elementary classroom, where she taught and mentored children every Sunday until she left for college. It was the first of many ways that she would serve as a conduit of God’s love to young people.

Called to a New Community

During her junior year of high school, Isabella expressed her interest in law to her guidance counselor, who recommended Regent University. She traveled from her hometown of Salisbury, North Carolina, to visit Virginia Beach. “I knew from the minute I stepped on campus that Regent was where God called me to be,” she remembers. “I felt this overwhelming sense of love and peace that passed all understanding, and I made sure to apply for classes that week.” She celebrated with her mom when she received the phone call announcing her acceptance.

“I knew from the minute I stepped on campus that Regent was where God called me to be.”

After facing the common challenges of freshman year, including moving far from home, adjusting to dorm living, making friends, and finding a church, Isabella found her place at Regent. Part of that process was her attendance at events hosted by Regent’s chapter of the conservative political advocacy organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA).

Isabella enjoyed TPUSA so much that she now serves as the chapter’s Vice President alongside her good friend, President Rachel Helms. She’s also involved in the Regent Undergraduate Debate Association, which competes within the American Moot Court Association and American Mock Trial Association.

“Sophomore year has been the best ever so far,” Isabella says. “Despite the challenges, I have really felt God move through it all. I love my classes, roommates, friends, and clubs. I love my TPUSA work. I am just so blessed to be able to be on campus and be a part of this community.” 

TPUSA Chapter Grows Along With National Movement

TPUSA at Regent was reactivated in the fall of 2024 after a period of inactivity, and by the end of that school year, Isabella and 100 other students were involved. Growth increased at the start of the Fall 2025 semester, attracting significant student interest at the Campus Connection Fair, and again after the shocking assassination of TPUSA Founder Charlie Kirk the following week. Currently, approximately 160 students are engaged with the chapter, including 33 general members who serve in tabling, operations, and social media.

Isabella traces her generation’s growing interest in politics back to 2020, when they witnessed the harsh nationwide division sparked by the death of George Floyd at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The idea of not being able to have a peaceful debate — and violence being the only answer — is a really scary one,” Isabella says. “Something I was taught growing up is that you can respectfully disagree. A lot of the current issues touch the hearts of a lot of people, so everyone has an opinion, and when it’s that deep and that close to you, it is really hard to keep your cool when you’re debating.”

“…without discussion, there’s no growth or understanding of different viewpoints.”

When Charlie Kirk began to do that very thing successfully across the country, Isabella and many of her peers took notice, as demonstrated by the viral popularity of his videos. “It really stood out to me how respectful he was,” Isabella says. “He was never rude to anyone asking a question. He was just calmly answering them.”

As Isabella started attending TPUSA events, she noticed Regent students emulating Charlie’s style. “Even if there were disagreements, every single person in leadership went about it in the most respectful, above-board manner possible,” she says. “I saw them make sure that no one felt left out or unseen. When you see the figurehead of an organization and everyone who follows him doing something like that, it makes you want to be more involved.”

Now, through TPUSA, Isabella is part of the leadership that invites other students into the conversation — and not just those who share the same views. One of the chapter’s events, Campus Conversations, welcomes students to participate in Socratic-style debates on current political issues. “I find that there’s always one main common viewpoint — something that people say is good or bad, but the way we deal with it differs,” Isabella says.

“We try to show up and show students that we care, we want to talk to them, we want to hear their opinions about politics, and we’re willing to listen. Charlie wanted more discussions on college campuses because, without discussion, there’s no growth or understanding of different viewpoints.”

Responses to Tragedy

On September 10, 2025, while preparing to host a “Politics and Picnic” event later that day, Isabella and the TPUSA chapter President learned from another member of their leadership team that Charlie Kirk had been shot at Utah Valley University. Taken aback, they pivoted to prepare a response.

The group coordinated a vigil that night at Shaw Chapel to pray for Charlie Kirk’s recovery. Shortly before the event began, news broke that he had died. “We still needed to pray for the Kirk family, our leaders, and the fallout, because it was such a difficult time,” Isabella says. During what she describes as a “beautiful” gathering at the chapel, TPUSA student executives spoke and led the gathering in prayer and worship. “It was this sense of, ‘The Lord is still with us, and He’s going to be able to move us through this.’”

Prior to the peace of the prayer vigil, Isabella witnessed fear and anger — and felt it herself at the thought of something similar happening on her own campus. “Is this something that we need to worry about in the future?” she recalls wondering.

But trepidation soon gave way to boldness. “At first, I was in shock,” Isabella says. “Then, as we realized the ramifications, I knew I would be sticking with it. It’s an intimidation tactic to try to silence Charlie and all the people who look up to him. Giving up would feel like giving in.” In the days immediately afterward, Regent’s TPUSA chapter continued their tabling events, Isabella explains, “to make sure people knew we were still here and that we wouldn’t be going away.”

Across the country, reactions ranged from grief to celebration. But on Regent’s campus, Isabella heard only mourning — even from those who were not Turning Point USA supporters. “We were all talking about it,” Isabella says. “Every single person I ran into said, ‘That should not have happened,’ even if they didn’t agree with Charlie Kirk.”

Two days after Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona, Isabella pitched in as her TPUSA chapter hosted a memorial in the Moot Courtroom to help the Regent community process the loss. The well-attended event featured remarks by Regent Law alumnus David Engelhardt, a Turning Point USA board member and friend, pastor, and attorney to Kirk.

A Generation Equipped for Such a Time as This

Through these recent experiences, Isabella has become more hopeful about her generation’s involvement in politics than it is sometimes portrayed. “Anytime that I’ve talked with my peers, people my age are generally very respectful,” she says. “We’re trying to figure out what we actually believe, because we don’t want to regurgitate other people’s opinions.” Isabella emphasizes that Regent University provides a space to do that, from professors facilitating discussions about hard topics to casual conversations with students at 77 Coffeehouse or the TPUSA table.

With this approach, there’s no doubt that Isabella and her fellow students are on their way to peacefully, lovingly, courageously changing the world, whether through law, government, or some other avenue. “My goal for the future is to succeed in whatever the Lord calls me to do and to love others well,” Isabella says. “I view loving others like Jesus did to be the best thing I could do on this earth.”

“I view loving others like Jesus did to be the best thing I could do on this earth.”

Isabella doesn’t just talk about loving others well — she lives it. In her role as a local leader for WyldLife, Young Life’s ministry for middle schoolers, she brings the same invitation to conversation that she has honed through TPUSA. Every Friday morning, an hour before school starts, she eats breakfast with a group of students as they talk about life and Jesus. “We really get to know these kids and show them that they’re loved,” she explains. “So many middle schoolers feel unloved. We’re trying to show them that they’re worth more than they think.” Isabella, of all people, knows exactly how vital that message is.

The Path Ahead, With All Its Potential Curves

Isabella hopes to attend Regent Law after finishing her bachelor’s degree, but, even at such a young age, she has already learned to surrender her ideas to God. “I want to make sure He’s the center of all that I do, because I would not be able to do anything if it wasn’t for Him,” she says. “I could make all these plans, but I’m just going to let the Lord lead me.” Her attitude and her life embody Proverbs 16:9: “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

With a bright future ahead of her, Isabella praises God for the turning points He has orchestrated in her life, and she trusts Him to continue working them together for good — every step of the way.

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To learn more about Turning Point USA, visit tpusa.com.

If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health struggles or is in immediate crisis, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 24/7 support. Call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.