‘YAF Has Made Me Want to Go Out and Fight for Freedom the Rest of My Life’

By Carter Lankes I didn’t choose the YAF life…. The YAF life chose me. It all started when my sister first told me about Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). She said, “It’s a bunch of cool laid back kids”. So I thought, “Ok, I’m down to start a chapter”, and ever since then YAF has impacted my life in ways I never thought. It has made me more confident in my ideas and beliefs, increased my knowledge about conservative issues, and overall has made me want go out and fight for freedom the rest of my life. Just being in YAF this past year has been the experience of a lifetime. I’ve been able to attend conferences and hear conservative speakers talk about things I never would have heard about in college. I’ve met many students from around the country that share the same conservative values and ideas that I do. Best of all there is an amazing staff that is always there to help you along the way. No matter how big or small the issue is you can call them and they will guide you through it all. Seriously, they’re the BEST! Young Americans for Freedom is one of the only clubs where you actively do things for the Conservative Movement. For example on our campus just after recently starting we have built and destroyed a mock Berlin Wall for the anniversary of the real Berlin Wall falling. We also had a socialist bake sale to teach students how socialism is not just a bunch of free stuff, and on top of all this we’ve had many meetings and socials. It truly makes a difference on campus too because not many students know the conservative side of issues, and doing these activities have opened their eyes. Overall, being involved in YAF is probably one of the coolest things you can do in your life. You get to go out and fight for freedom, become better informed on issues from top-notch speakers, and make amazing friends. Carter Lankes is the co-founder of University of Central Florida Young Americans for Freedom.