Karol Markowicz is the spring 2024 Eugene C. Pulliam Visiting Fellow in Journalism. She is a weekly columnist at the New York Post and Fox News, a contributor at Spectator World, and a contributing writer to Washington Examiner magazine. She recently published her first book: “Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation.”

Where are you from and where do you live?

I was born in the Soviet Union and raised in Brooklyn. I very publicly moved to Florida two years ago, with my three kids and my husband. Being born in the Soviet Union and coming to America as a small child has made me appreciate, every single day, being an American. I know how easily my life could have gone a different way, and I’m so grateful to be here. Our family celebrates our yearly Americaversary, July 20, and it’s a really big deal — bigger than birthdays. It’s the day we got free!

Why did you move from New York to Florida?

We moved during COVID-19 because I thought New York’s COVID policies were absurd and we wanted a better life for our kids. I refer to it as moving toward freedom because that’s what we should be doing — moving toward freedom — and Florida is far more free than New York.

What do you think of Hillsdale College and its students? What has surprised you?

The students at Hillsdale are so smart, well spoken, well put together, and just impressive in every way. Campus is full of joy. Everybody seems in such a good mood, which is not standard for college campuses. You hear all these stories about how unhappy everybody is on a college campus, and Hillsdale really is the opposite of that.

How did you become a journalist?

I really loved writing, and I had a blog, and it took off from there. I always really enjoyed writing but never thought it was something I could do as a career. And the fact that I get to do that is amazing to me every single day.

What inspired you to write “Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation” with your co-author Bethany Mandel?

“Stolen Youth” is about all the ways children are targeted for indoctrination. It’s not just schools. It’s happening at the library, at the doctor’s office, in the media they consume, and so on. We needed to make sure people knew the whole picture and what to do about it. The book was born because we were constantly sending each other stories and realized the pattern. 

In the current political and cultural environment what are you writing about the most?

I always like writing about culture because I think what is going on in culture is so much more interesting than what is going on in politics. Andrew Breitbart said it best that “politics is downstream from culture.” I write a lot about what is going on with our young people. I just think it is so important to focus on the messages they are getting and the ideas that are being sold to them. We need to challenge those ideas. I also write a lot about anti-semitism, especially after Oct. 7. Recently, I’ve written about the border a lot because I think that is the absolute central issue. And I think it has a lot to do with our culture that we are not doing anything about what is going on at the border. 

Since the attack on Israel, what has been your experience as a Jew in America?

It’s been really tough since Oct. 7, but I have a lot of faith in America. I am an American first, so I feel secure here. Being an American has been an absolute privilege. I came to this country when I was little, and I remember every day that it could have gone differently. In the time since October, I’ve just been reminded of how lucky I am and how not everyone around the world gets this lucky.

What advice do you have for Hillsdale students?

Take the culture of Hillsdale with you wherever you go because you guys have a really good thing going here on campus.