Who is Erika Kirk?: What to know about the late Charlie Kirk's widow from their love story to his legacy

Erika Kirk the widow of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk has lived much of her adult life in the inhabitants eye first as Miss Arizona USA later as a ministry leader and entrepreneur and bulk just now as a wife and mother who shared her husband s outspoken Christian faith Their love story rooted in prayer and purpose shaped not only their marriage but the movement he built a legacy she now carries forward after his death Hours before her life changed forever Erika Kirk posted a Bible verse Psalm which says God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble A baptized Catholic who attended Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale Arizona Erika Kirk in the present hosts a podcast called Midweek Rise Up It's described on her website as a devotional series distributed every Wednesday along with Monday Meditations to provide you that deep breath of God s got this The website says each episode is intentionally and prayerfully crafted with words of encouragement to push you Biblical leadership to challenge you and God-breathed Scripture to posture your heart for the best that s yet to come ERIKA KIRK BREAKS SILENCE AFTER HUSBAND CHARLIE S ASSASSINATION WITH ADDRESS AT TURNING POINT USA HEADQUARTERSErika and Charlie met in and then had a very long dinner Charlie announced that he knew almost forthwith that she was the one Erika posted a selfie of her and Charlie on Sept marking five years since the two met She wrote years ago in current times we sat inside Bill's Burgers in NYC deep in conversation and banter over theology philosophy and politics and at the end you paused looked at me and announced I'm going to date you Both Erika and Charlie spoke openly about the importance of dating with intention something they declared they did when they met Charlie proposed to Erika in December She captioned photos of the engagement on Instagram When God writes your love story you get to marry your best friend The two married less than a year later in May In a post with their wedding photos Erika wrote To the man I ve been praying for before I ever met you T o the man that I honor respect and deeply cherish T o the man that leads in strategies that remind me of the leaders before our time and whose confidence in God s word reminds me of Daniel T o the man that I am immeasurably lucky to be able to call my husband My CJK I love you Charlie The role God played in their love story was a theme throughout Erika s posts about her husband In February Erika posted a video to Instagram featuring herself Charlie and their children that was captioned thank you for being my love story The post has since gone viral after the TPUSA CEO's death Charlie commented on the video my favorite In her first Instagram post after her husband's assassination Erika wrote The world is evil But our Savior Our Lord Our God is so good I will never have the words Ever On Thursday Charlie Kirk s casket was flown aboard Air Force Two along with Erika Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance The vice president was one of the people who carried Kirk s casket onto the plane As they exited the aircraft Erika and Usha were seen holding hands in a viral image that demonstrated the Kirks closeness to the administration Erika Kirk also waived to supporters from the motorcade with a cross in hand Both the vice president and President Donald Trump were open about their relationships with Charlie Kirk and mourned him publicly with the president ordering flags at half-staff across the nation Another image of Erika that went viral was her leaning over Charlie s open casket seemingly hugging her late husband The photo was included with the first post she made after his death and included a video of her holding and kissing her late husband s lifeless hands CHARLIE KIRK'S LAST HOURS BEFORE HIS UTAH ASSASSINATION MESSAGES OF FAITH JUSTICEErika was no stranger to the limelight when she met Charlie In she was crowned Miss Arizona USA Her Instagram has photos of her bonding with other contestants and visiting the Pentagon while wearing her Miss Arizona sash Her website still features options for those looking to book her as a model or actress In addition to her pageant title Erika was an NCAA basketball participant at Regis University in Denver Colorado and graduated from Arizona State University after double majoring in Political Science and International Relations She also earned a Juris Master s in American Legal Studies at Liberty University In she started BIBLEin challenging others to commit to reading the Bible over the module of a year The challenge later became a ministry operation which seeks to help individuals engage with the scriptures daily according to her website Two years later she launched Proclaim Streetwear a faith-based clothing company that joined forces with BIBLEin in September Each month Proclaim hosts a free virtual BIBLEin live Q A with Erika and Pastor James Kaddis AUBURN COACH BRUCE PEARL SAYS CHARLIE KIRK WAS ASSASSINATED BECAUSE 'THEY COULDN'T BEAT HIM' IN TRIBUTEDespite her accomplishments in the worlds of faith fashion and pageants Erika emphasized that her priorities in life included being a wife and mother Above all Erika cherishes her role as the wife of Charlie Kirk and the mother of their precious son and daughter her biography on her website reads As she continues to grow in her ministry leadership and entrepreneurial endeavors Erika remains committed to inspiring others to live with purpose rooted in faith and driven by the love of Christ in every aspect of life On Friday Erika broke her silence and gave a moving comment on camera while standing next to the empty chair in which Charlie recorded his podcast Two days ago my husband Charlie went to see the face of his savior and his God she announced through tears And one of the final conversations that he had on this earth my husband witnessed for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Now and for all eternity he will stand at his Savior's side wearing the glorious crown of a martyr She added that Charlie's favorite Bible verse was Ephesians which says Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In her message to America Erika made it clear that the movement her husband started would not die with him She communicated that Turning Point USA would continue its campus tour and would hold its America Fest which is scheduled to take place in Phoenix Ariz in December Charlie Kirk who was killed during an event at Utah Valley university on Wednesday is survived by his wife and their two young children whose names have not been made society