Student Voices Leading the Conversation on Civil Discourse at Texas A&M
Texas A&M students led moderated discussions with political leaders at the Civil Discourse Symposium on April 20.
Caroline McCall ’26 moderated a fireside chat with the 48th Vice President of the United States Mike Pence at the Civil Discourse Symposium on April 20 at Rudder Tower Auditorium in College Station, Texas.
Texas A&M University, Division of Marketing and Communications
In a packed Rudder Tower auditorium with over 2,000 people, Texas A&M University senior Caroline McCall ’26 sat center stage, moments away from interviewing The Honorable Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States.
This conversation would be unlike any she had experienced previously and an exclamation mark on the end of her undergraduate career as an international relations and affairs honors student at The Bush School of Government and Public Policy.
Her discussion with Pence was the afternoon keynote and headline event of Texas A&M’s inaugural Civil Discourse Symposium on April 20, an event built to encourage thoughtful, informed and respectful dialogue.
“To know that the Bush School trusted me was special and empowering,” said McCall, recalling her four years of dedication that led to this moment. “I remember watching students moderate other fireside chats and wondering… how do I get up there?”
Finding her place at Texas A&M
A Bryan native and multi-generational Aggie, McCall said attending Texas A&M felt like a natural choice.
“I felt very left out once all of my siblings got their Aggie Rings,” said McCall. “The university has been something I’ve been a part of since birth. To me, there was no other place.”
She quickly immersed herself on campus, joining Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, getting involved with Freshman Leadership International, working as a research assistant in the School of Public Health and participating in Women In Public Service and the Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA).
Through SCONA, McCall first experienced helping plan and execute a large-scale symposium. Earlier this academic year, she got her first chance to moderate a discussion with Dr. Robert Gates, the former United States Secretary of Defense and 22nd president of Texas A&M.
Shortly after that event, The Bush School Dean, The Honorable John Sherman ’92 approached her with the opportunity to moderate the keynote conversation with former Vice President Pence.
“She was poised and handled the conversation with Dr. Gates extremely well,” said Dean Sherman. “(She) sees the world well and understands major geopolitical and national issues and I knew she was the student leader we wanted to share that stage with Vice President Pence.”
Texas A&M University’s inaugural Civil Discourse Symposium on April 20 was built to encourage thoughtful, informed and respectful dialogue.
Texas A&M University, Division of Marketing and Communications
Preparation is key
Once selected, McCall’s focus turned to preparing for the conversation.
She leaned on the skills she’s developed during her time at Texas A&M, pulled from including her experience with her earlier her fireside chat with Dr. Gates, and asked the advice of faculty and staff at The Bush School.
She said she researched Pence’s background, including his education, policy positions and political career. She read his memoir “So Help Me God,” along with his recent interviews and commentary, and built an understanding of the state of political discourse in the United States by reviewing several polling and analyses on the subject.
“Texas A&M is the ultimate leadership laboratory, getting men and women ready to go out into the world,” said Dean Sherman. “We wanted the students crafting the questions, the dialogue, the keynote, everything.”
McCall said her focus was to be a representative for her peers.
“I kept thinking about what students wanted to hear,” she said. “What questions matter most to us, and how can we get meaningful insight from someone with that level of experience?”
MyKaela Johnston ’26 moderated a conversation with U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul and Henry Cuellar to kick off Texas A&M’s Civil Discourse Symposium on April 20 in College Station, Texas.
Texas A&M University, Division of Marketing and Communications
A day of civil dialogue
Earlier in the day, the symposium’s morning conversation with U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul (R-TX 10) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX 28), centered on their careers and decades of bipartisan work in Congress.
Moderated by senior society, ethics and law student MyKaelea Johnston ’26, the discussion emphasized engaging across differences and moderating respectful dialogue.
She was chosen for the opportunity by her peers in student government and said her background in student government, alongside her internships in Washington, D.C., helped her shape her approach.
“I’ve met many different kinds of people,” Johnston said. “Those experiences taught me how to have difficult conversations and engage with people that I may not agree with in a respectful way.”
For Johnston, the conversation was an exercise in showing what civil discourse can look like in practice.
“You can tell that both of them have a heart for service,” she said of the politicians. “It’s empowering to see as a student that you can disagree while also coming together to find common ground in an effort to help this country and the people who live here.”
From the morning discussion to The Aggie Lyceum conversation and the afternoon keynote, both McCall and Johnston said the symposium represented a strong student interest in meaningful dialogue.
“People want to have these discussions,” said McCall. “You can’t find solutions without hearing from different perspectives. Texas A&M taking a leading role in creating spaces like this is important, and I hope it continues to grow.”
