“I try to do everything with passion – it’s 100% or nothing with me” – Charisa de Klerk

Charisa de Klerk, a senior lecturer in the Department of Financial Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of Pretoria (UP), is proud of her academic achievements: obtaining a PhD and being published in an A-rated academic journal. She achieved all this while raising three kids under the age of six. Whether it is her personal or professional life, she strives to bring her A-game to every role she is tasked with.

What does your job entail?

I am a senior lecturer in the Department of Financial Management, where I lecture future chartered accountants and conduct research. I have served in this role for six years.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

Interacting with students and seeing how they grow from the start of their first year until they graduate.

What sort of challenges have you encountered in your career as an academic and as a woman in academia, and how did you navigate these?

A big challenge for me was finishing my PhD while being a mom to two babies.

When did your journey in academia start?

My journey started when I was appointed as an academic trainee in the Department of Accounting in 2013. This was directly after my postgraduate studies. I got the opportunity to interact with students at a peer level, seeing that I had only finished my degree the year before. After completing my articles and a secondment in London, I returned to academia in 2018.

Tell us about your research interests.

I have two research interests. The first is accounting education; I want to see how we as educators can improve a student’s learning environment and teach them core competencies that they’d need in the workplace. My second research interest lies within behavioural finance. I am particularly interested in how professional scepticism among financial professionals can improve decision-making.

What are some of your accomplishments?

My biggest accomplishment is being a mother to three beautiful boys. In terms of work accomplishments, I recently published my first article in an A-rated journal. I have also presented some of the educational interventions of my research at three Flexible Futures Conferences over the past few years.

You’ll be graduating in September with a doctorate – what was the focus of your thesis?

I focused on behavioural finance and my study is titled, ‘Professional trait scepticism and behavioural bias in decision-making by financial professionals’.

Aside from your role at UP, what other activities/roles are you involved in?

I try to stay abreast of what is happening in my profession by being part of the marking teams of the professional examinations set by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, as well as the board courses for the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) examinations.  I am a very active person, and one of my hobbies is running. I am training for the Cape Town marathon set to take place in October this year.

What are you most passionate about?

I’m a very enthusiastic and optimistic person in general. Everything I try to do, I do with passion – it’s 100% or nothing with me. In my work life, I am passionate about teaching and always want to improve myself and the module I am involved in to give the best to our students. In my personal life, I am passionate about being the best mom and wife I can be for the four men in my life.

What is your source of motivation?

I draw a lot of motivation from God. My husband also plays a big role as he is my biggest supporter. In my work environment, I have a wonderful team and we call ourselves the #DreamTeam. We motivate each other to be our best in all aspects of our lives, not just work.

What are your ambitions and hope for women in South Africa?

I hope that women in South Africa can live out their dreams and passions without obstacles, and that they get the support they need to be the best version of themselves in their personal lives and at work.

What impact do you aspire to make on society?

I don’t think anyone needs to make a massive impact on society. I personally want to make small differences in the lives of my students and I want to be remembered as someone who truly cared.

Can you share a moment when you felt empowered as a woman?

The day I got my PhD results back! The realisation that I was able to finish my degree during a period in my life when I was raising three boys, who are all under the age of six, was second to none. I am thankful for my support structure at home, which enabled me to do this.

What is the most important life lesson/motto that has shaped you into the person you are today?

It is a lesson I learnt from my mom. She always quoted the following from [Lebanese poet/writer] Khalil Gibran when we were kids: “To love life through labour is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.” This has taught me to work hard and love what you do. This has brought me a lot of happiness in my life.