Over the years, Students For Liberty has had the opportunity to work closely with hundreds of student activists who have gone on to accomplish incredible things.
One such leader is North American Executive Board member Kayla Garthus, who is a political science student at the University of Michigan. We sat down with Kayla to talk about her involvement with SFL and her accomplishments in the liberty movement.
David Clement: How long have you been with SFL and what roles have you taken on as a student leader?
Kayla Garthus: I have been with SFL since the Fall of 2014 when I joined the Campus Coordinator program. Since joining the Campus Coordinator program, I have joined the SFL North American Executive Board, representing the Midwest Region!
David: It’s been over 2 years now since you first joined SFL’s leadership programs. How would you describe your experience with SFL? What have been the biggest takeaways from being a student leader with SFL?
Kayla: My time with SFL has been so influential and life changing. The leadership training SFL offers is rich in the history of libertarian thought, coupled with best practices for running student organizations. SFL volunteers are also exposed to some of the coolest student programming organizations in the country- the Institute for Humane Studies and the Foundation for Economic Education.
David: You seem to have put that training to good use! You were just awarded a $1500 activism grant from the Atlas Network for your “The Realities of Socialism” project. Tell us more about that.
Kayla: The project is called “The Realities of Socialism!” It’s aim is to visually educate college students on the horrific effects socialism brings to nations. It will use photos taken under socialist regimes juxtaposed with art from the socialist-realism movement. We plan on modeling the activism event after a free speech wall! Using the hangtag #ThisIsSocialism, we hope the campaign will go viral.
David: That is pretty impressive, and I know I am not the only one looking forward to seeing you carry this project out. For others who may be interested in SFL’s leadership programs, and advocating for a free society on campus, what would you say to them?
Kayla: If someone was interested in joining SFL, I’d tell them to jump right in! I too was hesitant on joining the organization. Working a part-time job and being a full-time student can sometimes leave little time to promote the ideas of liberty, and I thought I couldn’t donate enough time to the cause. In reality, balancing SFL with everything else has been quite easy. It doesn’t feel like a full-time job because I’ve become so passionate about advancing liberty!
David: Thank you Kayla and keep up the amazing work you have done so far in spreading the ideals of a free society.
To apply for the Campus Coordinator Program, please fill out the application here.