VIDEO: St. Catharines students to quiz Niagara Falls ‘Survivor’ winner
Published March 15, 2022 at 9:03 am
Students at Brock University will get the rare opportunity to peek into the mind of a winner tonight.
Niagara Falls native Erika Casupanan was the first Canadian and person of Filipino descent to win American reality TV show “Survivor” in mid-December, collecting $1 million US for her efforts.
Two weeks ago in a taped ceremony, Mayor Jim Diodati presented Casupanan with the “key” to Niagara Falls.
Tonight (March 15), the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) will host a two-hour “Q&A” session with Casupanan in an event that’s open to all Brock students and will take place virtually from 7 pm to 9 pm.
Casupanan grew up watching the show in her hometown of Niagara Falls and moved to Toronto where she worked as a communications manager before eventually going on to compete on the show’s 41st season.
She has said one of her biggest accomplishments was walking away from her communications career of almost 10 years when she lost passion for it. Before long, she was on her way to Fiji where she would win Survivor 41.
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“When you think about it, it’s such a low probability that a person can win Survivor, yet I made it happen,” said Casupanan. “It’s surreal to come back to the Niagara Region, virtually, and talk to students about my experience making something that seems impossible, possible.”
Tonight’s event will focus on her journey to becoming the sole Survivor and her approach to goal setting, whether that’s on national television or in the classroom. Students are also encouraged to think of their own questions for Casupanan, as some will have the chance to ask her live.
“What led me to success on Survivor was really knowing myself and accepting myself. I could work with my strengths and turn perceived weaknesses into more strengths. I hope people walk away from the event feeling just a little more capable with all of the talents and gifts they already have,” said Casupanan.
Students who are interested in attending the event are required to register via BUSU’s event page as soon as possible today.
In the meantime, here’s five minutes of Survivor contestants being absolutely obsessed with the soft-spoken Casupanan about halfway through the show as they slowly realize what a threat she may end up being to their games.
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