The Texas Tribune Festival is an annual weekend conference that seeks to bring together bipartisan civic and political leaders to discuss the most pressing issues facing our state and country. The 2026 Trib Fest featured over 100 programs and sessions on America's 250, the upcoming elections, A.I and more, bringing 250 speakers to Austin for the event. Not only is the Tribune Festival a great opportunity to learn directly from political professionals, it also serves as great opportunity for students to expand their network and get to know more about the world of public affairs.
The Patman Center offered the opportunity to attend the festival to all of the 2026 Patman Scholars. Those who were able to attend reflected on how the experience opened the door to better understanding the relevant issues facing our communities, renewed their passion for civics, and left them feeling inspired by bipartisan political leaders and the work being done across the state. As students, experiences like these that provide an example of what leadership can look like are fundamental to their development as professionals.
Christina Salas, a first-year Public Affairs undergraduate student walked away from the experience with a renewed motivation to continue exploring the topics and policies discussed over the weekend.
"Texas Tribune Festival allowed me to step outside my comfort zone and hear our state's (and country's) preeminent policy topics. I was able to deeply engage with concepts such as political-religious pluralism with both field professionals and my peers, granting me with entirely new perspectives on our state's politics and communities. I'm excited to read some of the books by today's authors to gain a more comprehensive understanding of these issues, and I can't wait to attend future TTFs! I'm so grateful to have these incredible opportunities as a Patman Scholar!"
The festival also tackled many issues pertinent to the upcoming midterm elections this November. At a time when many young people feel uncertain about democracy and their role as civically engaged citizens, the event helped to foster confidence in the institutions of democracy and the people who sit in positions of power. Jasmine John, a first-year business student at the university reflected on how the event helped to recenter her perceptions of government.
"Going to the Texas Tribune Festival showed me the humanity of our political leaders. It's easy to give into a feeling of political apathy when our leaders feel so far removed from us. The opportunity to attend Trib Fest made possible by the Patman Scholars Program showed me that real questions can get real answers and real change is possible at all levels of government."
Part of the Patman Scholar program is connecting students with mentors who can guide them on their professional paths and inspire them to embody an ethos of civility and bipartisanship as they continue to develop as leaders. The Tribune Festival is closely aligned with the goal of our scholar program in that it provides an opportunity for students to hear from the representatives and civic leaders they feel most inspired by and provides the chance for them to build connections with them. Elsa Syed, a first-year public affairs student noted that she left the experience feeling inspired by the various leaders she had the opportunity to listen to, and was excited to see LBJ professors who she admires sharing their work in the wider world.
"Coming to the Tribune Fest for a second year was an even better experience. I got to hear from so many bipartisan speakers on a range of topics. The highlight of my weekend was going to see Joaquin Castro, who spoke on the rise of immigration reform throughout Texas with several other inspiring advocates who sat beside him. I also loved getting to see a lot of LBJ professors sharing their work!"
The Patman Center is proud to have funded the opportunity to attend the festival for our Patman Scholars. The ability to learn from political professionals who our scholars may otherwise not have access to and to meet other professionals in the field they are interested in pursuing is invaluable. We are so please that our Scholars were able to fully take advantage of the opportunity and we hope to continue to send scholars in the future!
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Iliana Flores-DuMond
Iliana is a proud UT Alumna who earned a bachelor's in Government at the university. After graduating she pursued a career in civic education, working with K-12 students from across the state to educate about the structure of government and the role youth play in engaging as citizens in their communities. As the Program Coordinator for YMCA Texas Youth and Government she helped to recruit and train volunteers, plan events for over 1,300 young Texans, and provide supports to educators across the state working to build the next generation of civic leaders. Along similar lines, she is now putting her experience in the civic education arena into practice as The Patman Center program coordinator.