Student Spotlight - Brianna Becker

While jogging on Friday, September 25, 2009, - the afternoon before she was to take the LSATs - Brianna was hit by a car and killed. We join her family and friends in mourning the loss of this exceptionally intelligent, beautiful young woman whose cheerful demeanor brightened the lives of those around her.

Her Story

Conservatism isn’t so much a decision as an identity, says Brianna Becker, a junior at the University of Texas at Austin. She thinks Russell Kirk put it best: “Conservatism is no ideology: it is a state of mind, a type of character, a way of looking at the order of commonwealth. […] The conservative person is simply one who finds the permanent things more pleasing than Chaos and old night.”

Activism, on the other hand, is a conscious life decision and one Brianna made early and enthusiastically. She attended the National Student Leadership Council in Washington DC at age 15 and participated in Junior Statesmen of America throughout high school. These experiences afforded an opportunity to refine her arguments on a wide array of issues, from life to law; and she discovered a passion for articulating the conservative perspective in controversial public policy debates. “It was an indescribable, electrifying feeling,” Brianna said of her first debate, “to speak on things that in my heart I knew were right.”

Brianna joined the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) in her freshman year and quickly realized that conservatives were a minority on campus and in Austin.

“Maybe it’s just a personality characteristic of mine,” laughs Brianna, “but I LOVE a challenge, and UT is full of them.” The largest student group on campus is University Democrats, and UT has a strong, vocal International Socialists Organization as well. The antics of these and other liberal groups have given YCT many unique opportunities to stand up and stand out.

YCT has spearheaded several campus events and sponsored several national and state conservative speakers, among them Chris Simcox, Dinesh D’Souza, Dr. Miriam Grossman, and Ward Connerly. Some of Brianna’s most cherished memories are the private times with these leaders and champions of conservative thought. “They spoke with us as equals in principle,” recalls Brianna, “and gave us insights only delivered in person.”

An ardent proponent of Second Amendment rights and concealed-carry permits, Brianna proposed a “Girls Night at the Range” as an alternative to the Vagina Monologues play. Expertise with and access to a handgun are a far “more effective way for women to defend themselves,” she insists, than shouting ‘vagina’ at the top of their lungs.

YCT’s willingness to aggressively engage the Left has gained the group greater name recognition, legendary campus status, increased membership, funding and donations. YCT has also developed strong media relationships. “We are the only vocal counterpoint opinion,” notes Brianna, who is YCT’s Media Director, “ensuring us interviews on every contentious topic.”

Brianna credits the gifts of faith and Christian parents with shaping her conservative perspective, and she continues to build upon that foundation through the study of conservative philosophy. A government major, she chose to specialize in political theory, and she has been pegged as the student voice for natural law theory in philosophy debates—a title she proudly accepts and defends. The Houston native plans to pursue a law degree after graduating UT.

Brianna interned at the Institute during 2008. Part of her work included this presentation at a luncheon of student leaders from across the nation.

Prioritize your principles and never procrastinate. Stand for them without provocation, but with boldness and urgency. Be an example and not a reactionary, always taking the initiative.