DropDownList BorderStyle conversion w/ OptionStrict ON

Hi, I have a DropDownList control that stores values from the BorderStyle enumeration. I want to take the selected value, and convert it back to a BorderStyle variable. But I have OptionStrict On, and it won't let me convert using the following ways:

Dim styleType As Type = GetType(BorderStyle)
Label1.BorderStyle = [Enum].Parse(styleType, borderStyleList.SelectedItem.Text)

or

Label1.BorderStyle = borderStyleList.SelectIndex

Why can't I do this? Is there another way to convert a selected item into the correct Type (BorderStyle, in this case) while OptionStrict is ON?

It's so much easier in C#, using the casting: Label1.BorderStyle = (BorderStyle) borderStyleList.SelectIndex;
Is there something in VB that's similar to the casting in C#?

Thanks.

Sounds like a question for a VB.Net person (which I'm not, sorry).