Sheer determination and an unbreakable spirit have seen a Northern Cape High School Grade 12 pupil, Casner Klein, achieve more than he personally ever imagined.
SHEER determination and an unbreakable spirit have seen a Northern Cape High School Grade 12 pupil, Casner Casner, achieve more than he personally ever imagined.
Casner was crowned the winner in the Conspirito Nationals, which took place on September 24, and will be heading to Boksburg for the Tip of the Tongue National Speaking competition that will take place tomorrow.
On top of those achievements, Casner also carries the title of Mr Kimberley.
From his appearance and tone, one can see and feel that Casner has a remarkable presence. However, he says that he was not always such a comfortable and confident person.
“I only started participating in public speaking last year when I was in Grade 11,” Casner explains. “I did my first competition then and I won. I spoke about how music is a vital piece in the puzzle of life. I however did not go to the national public speaking competition as I felt that my schoolwork would be neglected. This year, I luckily found a balance between public speaking and my schoolwork.
“I really never imagined that I would have made it to this point in public speaking as I grew up having a stutter and I was extremely shy. I never had the courage to speak in front of a crowd, nor did I have many friends.
“I always had a love for speaking, but my stutter made me feel ashamed and uncomfortable. I spent a lot of time in isolation and alone. So, I never imagined that I would reach a point where anyone would be interested in what I had to say or even give me an ear to listen to what I had to say.”
Casner says it was his mother who got him to “come out of his shell”.
“My mother registered me to do modelling. At the time I did not think that modelling even fit my personality, however, one never argues with your mom,” he says with a grin.
Casner says the modelling contributed tremendously to his confidence.
“The modelling helped to boost my confidence as I was able to stand in my own energy and be comfortable. I then worked to overcome my stutter. Now days, nobody believes that I had stutter problem.
“All these factors have assisted me in achieving my own personal goals and also so much more.”
Casner says that winning the title of Mr Kimberley was not a personal goal he had set for himself.
“My agent and mentor told me about the Mr Kimberley competition. We decided that I should enter, but I did not have my heart set on winning. I did not even prepare fully for it. Even on the night of the pageant, I did not even think that I could win. I always thought that one of the other contestants would walk off with the title. It was such a surprise to me when I was announced as the winner.”
Casner says he has never taken the “journey” or the support that he has had for granted.
“The announcement of my winning the Conspirito Nationals came on the eve of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the city. I was given an invitation to have lunch with the president as one of his guests. It was such an honour to be in a room with so many people who have already achieved so much, whereas I am just a schoolboy who won a public speaking competition,” he says with a smile.
Looking ahead, Casner says he hopes to work in the computer industry one day.
“I want to pursue a career in computers, whether it be computer science, coding or software engineering, just anything to do with computers,” he chuckles.
And who would bet against him achieving this?
