Congratulations are most definitely in order! 40 years of impacting thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of lives is a feat not many organisations can claim to have done.
A lifetime & legacy to be proud of & what’s exciting is that it’s only just beginning.
It’s sincerely humbling to think of those who’ve been through or have associated with such an incredible organisation & it’s hard to express the humility I feel for having been a part of it.
Currently I’m a full time model & youtuber based in Cape Town & while I don’t actively perform magic anymore, I would not be in the position I am today without the core life skills I learnt through the College. The confidence, empathy, competition, patience & perseverance I gained are invaluable & I’m certain those who have been through this organisation would agree.
Looking back, the weekly required performances in front of my peers, while terrifying for my chubby, awkward former self, was exactly what I needed. It’s that right there that makes the College so special, the unique balance of pushing students but doing so in a nurturing way.
My journey through the college ignited a deeply competitive side of me that I credit a huge amount of my success to.
I recall year after year competing with my peers in stage, close up, juggling & mime & clowning competitions. Some years winning, some years learning, with it climaxing in my course 6 year where I won more trophies than I could hold. That ability to persevere, hone my craft, hustle on & develop myself was a product of the College’s teachings.
After graduating I trained & became a teacher at the college & this was a crazy surreal full circle to take. Again, another example of an amazing opportunity that this organisation offers to its students. It provided a perspective that gave me a deeper understanding of why the teachers did what they did & a respect for the process involved.
For example, being able to walk out to a group of children & keep their attention or approach a group of strangers & perform for them taught me the value of perspective & empathy.
Thinking about what the audience wants to see, hear & feel & changing your performance & approach based on that but to still get your message across.
Magic was the medium but the life lessons learnt transcended that.
There are countless examples of these experiences that have taught me skills which have put me greatly ahead in life.
I could ramble on about memories of representing the College abroad, running to the magic shop to check out new stock, ghost encounters in Houdini’s Chamber, performing in grand theatres & a bunch of stuff that would have no context to you the reader. What I will say is this, the College became a home away from home for myself & for many of the students. A space to become the best version of myself that I could be.
The teachers became mentors & friends & to capture all the memories, relationships & experiences into words is an impossible task.
As I’m writing this & thinking back I am left feeling gratefully nostalgic for being a part of such a wonderful, life changing organisation.
Congratulations for the past 40 years & here is to the next 40!