Opening

I believe that we are the clay, and time is our potter. We are molded, like clay, by our life events to make a beautiful, unique sculpture. I have observed that in our adolescent years many youths find many activities to partake of that help mold their clay. Many kids play soccer or baseball. Not me! I am a magician, Eagle Scout, a “Has Been”, a campus leader, and much more. These important events have shaped, and these events have helped me mature and develop to define who I really am… “John Cason the Magician, Eagle Scout, and “Has-Been”.

A Family Collage

My family consists of four people. I am the youngest of three boys. My brother Mitchell is eleven years older than me. He now has a family with three children. Before I was born, another older brother, Robert, was killed in a horsing accident on our farm. My mom loves the outdoors and enjoys cooking. She teaches mathematics at Georgia Southern University. My father loves working with animals. He raises goats and quail as a side hobby. He works as the director of low-income housing in Statesboro, Georgia. My family is very tight knit. We communicate everyday. My parents have a genuine care for what I am doing, and they want me to do the best of my ability in everything I do. Everyone in my family enjoys the outdoors and the many activities it offers. Mitchell enjoys hunting deer, doves, duck, and turkey. My mother enjoys kayaking, canoeing, camping, and bird watching. My father enjoys the occasional hunt for doves, but his true love is in working with animals (hence the goats and quail he raises). I have enjoyed fishing, canoeing, kayaking, camping, and scouting.

Magic & Sleight of Hand

In third grade, my literature teacher began a section study of magicians and magic related stories. After learning and reading about magicians, we had to present a trick for the class. This is when I was bitten by the “Magic Bug,” and have never been cured to date. I began reading all the books in the local regional library. The following summer, I visited my cousin in Dallas, Texas. There my mother, Aunt Annette, and I found my first magic shop. There at Magic Land, I purchased my first tricks, books, and instructional videos that began my magic and sleight of hand hobby.

Through the years I progressed with magic. At first, it started as something I could do that my friends and parents could not figure out. I loved having the attention that I got when I tricked someone. Friends would come over to the house I would demonstrate (and sort of showoff) my honed skills. I loved having the attention that I got when I tricked someone. I began to perform parlor shows for my parents friends. Through the years my interest in magic escalated. I met other magicians that were making money from their hobby, and I figured that I too could make some extra cash. I began performing Children birthday parties. Parents could hire me for a packaged show. The show would keep their kids and guests entertained for about 30 minutes. And after the party, I would stay and make balloon animals.

Entertaining with magic has always been my way of expressing to the world how I feel. It has significantly helped me to become a better person. From learning to read instruction books to public speaking, magic and sleight of hand has been a key cornerstone in my life. Sleight of hand has taught me self discipline. I must practice daily to stay “up-to-par” on my difficult sleights and entertaining tricks. Because I have been up in front of thousands of people speaking and performing, public speaking has never been a problem for me. Also, because magic often has a lot of people interactions; I have developed good “people skills”.

Boy Scouts of America

Another organization that helped me to be a leader I started after the fifth grade. I began a journey that I just finished my junior year of highs school. I joined the Boy Scouts. Boy scouts is an organization for adolescence boys. Boy Scouts has taught me to be trustworthy and loyal to my peers and adults. I have learned how to administer life respiration in emergencies. Also, Scouting has taught me to be helpful, friendly, courteous, and kind in all situations to other people. I have learned to tie about twenty-five knots and how to effetely use them. Scouting has taught me to be obedient to my leaders and parents. Cheerfulness is a must when camping with peers. It is very easy to become hostile and snappy when on long hiking or camping treks. In scouting we had an oath to live by. The oath is “On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to god and my country, to obey the Scout Law, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” This has become a standard for my life “guidebook.”

Berry College

Since in college, I have become a very pro-active leader. I am WinShape scholarship participant. The program focuses on developing Christian leaders to impact the world. The program has allowed me to grow and learn more about myself as a leader. As a freshman, I became active in the Student Government Association by running for Freshman Class Secretary. After a successful year, I was able to advance and run and be elected as Sophomore Class President.

Executive Round Table caught my eye. An organization that connects business leaders with students seemed amazing to me. During the spring, I had the opportunity to take an active role in leading the organization as the Vice President of Communications.

While at Berry I worked two jobs in the Admissions office and the Campbell School of Business. The Career Development center advertised an off campus job with a local supplier and manufacturer of construction products. I applied to gain experience of formal interviews and the resume process. I fortunately was hired and began work immediately as a Marketing and Sales Intern for A&L Shielding, one of the nation’s largest suppliers of lead lined, raw construction products.

Summer 2006 I was given the opportunity to lead new, incoming Berry students as a Student Orientation and Registration Leader (SOAR Leader). I lead small groups through their orientation and registration process; as well as acted as a face for the college to hundreds of parents and prospective students.

Berry College has provided an atmosphere for me to develop as a leader by giving me a hand on approach. College is the most self-defining part of one’s life. I strive to do my best and gain the insights to help me my entire life. Berry College has provided that for me thus far, and will hopefully end this chapter of my life on a high note.

Y-Club’s of Georgia

In the sixth grade I was introduced to a program that was different than all other school programs at Langston Chapel Middle School. This club attended conferences across the state of Georgia. It was fun, and I met many other youths across the state. In the sixth grade, I joined Y-Club. I had no idea that this club I was joining would change my life forever. I became active in Y-Club. The purpose of Y-Club is “to create, maintain, and extend, throughout the home, school, and community, high standards of Christian character”. We had monthly school and community service projects. Y-Club taught me that service to others is important, and we should strive to do our best in every situation. As I grew in life, I grew in Y-Club. I started friendships that will last for a lifetime. Y-Club is a student led program. At the conferences students had the option of running for an office. The summer after my high school sophomore year, I decided to run for Y-Club State Vice-President position. Luckily I was elected, and it has shaped and changed my life more than I could ever know. Being elect to this position, I helped plan conferences for my district and state. I met more conferences attendees. After one year of serving, I had to give up my position. Then I became known as a “Has-Been”. This is a nickname Y-Club gives the officers that are stepping down. Y-club fed my spiritual soul as well as my desire to be a leader for others.

Closing

These three organizations gave me chances to excel and become a better person. Entertaining with magic helped tune my public speaking skills. It helped me to become a “people person”, and gave me a hands-on-experience on how to talk and meet with new people. Y-club gave me the chance to grow spiritually and as a leader. It gave me an outlet to use the abilities that I learned from boy scouts and magic. Finally, Boy Scouts was by far the longest and hardest journey I have done, but it is also the most beneficial. Scouting taught me to be trustworthy, loyal, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, and brave. It taught me essential skills to camping and emergency preparedness. These activities have helped me to become a better leader and overall a better person. These activities and events have a place near my heart, and will stay there for the rest of my life. They have helped shape, mature and develop to define who I really am. “John Cason, the magician, Eagle Scout, Has Been, and a campus leader.”