The Old Diocesan Issue 12 - Magazine - Page 39
THE COLUMN
Nassar de Kock (2021W) is the inaugural recipient of the IIOFF
bursary sponsored by Citadel. The award allowed him to study at
UCT, and he graduated with a BCom Honours degree in finance last
year. He has passed his CFA Level I, and starts both his Certified
Financial Planning qualification and a job at Citadel this year.
maths, and once again I was
fortunate to receive a scholarship
– this time an academic one.
The support of friends who
welcomed me and helped me feel
at home gave me the confidence
to keep striving. I began taking
academics seriously, supported by
committed teachers and a strong
school culture. And I continued
to excel in rugby, playing at the
Grant Khomo tournament in
Grade 10, which we won.
Bishops instilled in me a culture
of discipline and teamwork. It
showed me what it meant to strive
for excellence, and I did so both
academically and on the sports
field. I achieved six distinctions
in matric, including for maths
and science, and was accepted into
the actuarial science programme
at UCT.
Despite my success at Bishops,
there was always a lingering
concern: what would happen after
school? My high-school education
had been fully funded, but I had
no support structure to help me
further that education. It’s one
thing to have the opportunity
to attend university – but how
would I pay for it?
In my matric year, Citadel,
a specialist wealth management
company, partnered with Bishops
in a new initiative called the Invest
In Our Future Fund, which offered
a tertiary-education bursary to a
Bishops scholarship student. I was
the inaugural recipient. I was so
fortunate to be selected, not only
because Citadel would fund my
studies at UCT, but because they
would offer guidance and career
Nassar in the Citadel offices in
Claremont, Cape Town. He started
his position as a graduate intern
in February this year.
support, and ultimately a first step
on the career ladder.
CEO Andrew Möller and Head
of Human Capital Marina Knox
guided me throughout my degree,
helping me make key decisions.
While I loved mathematics and
accountancy, I struggled with
statistics. With their support,
I transitioned from actuarial
science to a finance degree, which
was better suited to my strengths.
After completing my studies,
Citadel once again played a pivotal
role, helping me determine my
career path. Through a rigorous
process, we concluded that my
background in finance and my
passion for working with people
made financial advisory a natural
fit. Having completed my CFA
Level I exam, my interest in
finance and long-term wealth
planning was strengthened.
This year, I embark on my
financial advisory career at
Citadel. There was a workback period written into my
bursary with Citadel, but it
feels unnecessary to me. Given
the option, I would always choose
Citadel, not just because of the
opportunity the company gave me,
but because of their genuine care
for people, their professionalism
and their ethos of excellence.
My story is not unique. Many
young South Africans grow up in
circumstances similar to mine. The
difference lies in opportunity. I was
given access to quality education
– from preparatory school to high
school and through university.
With that came a chance for me
to prove myself. I firmly believe
that if more young people were
afforded these opportunities, they
too would excel and contribute
meaningfully to South Africa.
Writing this column has made
me reflect deeply on my life and
how radically my circumstances
changed through a series of
fortunate opportunities. While
I have worked hard, my success
can, to a large degree, be attributed
to me crossing paths first with the
JAG Foundation, then Wet Pups and
Bishops, then Citadel. Without each
of those encounters, I would not
be where I am today. Together, they
have given me access to a worldclass education that changed my
life, and provided a first step up
into the business world.
THE OLD DIOCESAN | 35
