Durga Iyer achieves Distinguished Toastmaster Award
Durga Iyer, a CeBER PhD candidate, earned the Distinguished Toastmaster Award in August 2018. The Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award represents the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters and recognizes the public speaking and leadership achievements of a member. Over the course of 2 years, Durga Iyer
- delivered 46 prepared speeches,
- completed 22 short-term club projects,
- organized a Youth Leadership workshop at Wynberg Boys High School,
- served the UCT Toastmasters club as a club officer
- served the southern African region as an officer
- mentored new members to help them deliver their speeches
- coached a struggling Toastmasters club to achieve recognition and
- completed a High Performance Leadership (HPL) to introduce public speaking to staff members of UCT
This journey has helped Durga mature his public speaking and leadership skills. He won the 2017 Toastmasters District 74 Division D Humorous Speech Contest. He is currently the club President of UCT Toastmasters and is part of an enthusiastic team who are eager to help people become the leaders they strive to be. He attributes his achievement to the supportive culture of the UCT Toastmasters club and the encouragement and mentoring provided by Toastmasters in the southern African community. After the DTM, his next pursuit is another three letters – his PhD! CeBER wish Durga the best as he strides towards the completion of his doctorate.