Wicus Cronje, Class of 2025

Wicus Cronje, he/him

Empathy, Generosity, Humility

"I've noticed when I fear something, if I just end up doing it, I'm grateful in the end."—Colleen Hoover

Wicus Cronjé was born and raised in Durbanville, Cape Town in South Africa. In December 2015, he moved with his family to Stellenbosch, attending high school at Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG). Wicus has participated in sports throughout his life, but also developed a passion for writing and wrote about politics and sport in the Semper, which is PRG’s newspaper. In 2020, he joined the Academy for Environmental Leadership (AEL), a gap year programme which focused on conservation ecology, where he attained a deeper understanding of nature and knew that he would play a role in protecting it. He attained an NQF Level 5 Diploma in Conservation Ecology when he graduated from AEL. Wicus is currently in his final year of studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Conservation Ecology. During that time, he joined Joshua Generation Church and played soccer for Oude Molen, a private student organization at the university. He realized that nature conservation cannot be successful without including people, including the local communities. For example, he had to start a campaign addressing improper disposal of e-cigarettes (mainly vapes) and created an information sheet which students could read by scanning a QR code at a coffee shop.