While accepting an honorary doctorate from Hillsdale College on behalf of herself and her late husband, Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk described the first day of her honeymoon with the Turning Point USA cofounder. "To all of you here - parents, class of 2026, faculty and staff - it's an honor to be here. It's an honor to accept the degrees that I will be receiving later on behalf of myself and Charlie," Erika, 37, said while addressing the 2026 graduating class of Hillsdale College, a Christian liberal arts college located in southern Michigan.