Sometimes, opportunities come and wait for us, but sometimes, opportunities may not be visible, and you have to hunt them down.
I started my Rotaract journey at this amazing and wonderful club in 2021, when I was a fresh undergraduate at the University of Kelaniya. To be honest, joining the club was not my decision. I was really good at extracurricular activities in school, so I thought, “Okay, now there’s no point in doing extracurricular activities here again. I’m going to focus on my studies and not get distracted.” However, the person who helped me apply to the university also convinced me to join the club, saying, “If you don’t join, you’re wasting your potential and skills. This is the best opportunity to give back to the university and gain something in return.” So yes, I applied and became a member, taking the first step on this wonderful journey without any idea of what I was getting into.
Choosing my main avenue was the first challenge I faced. I talked to many Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors, asking, “Hey bro, what avenue should I choose?” In the end, I decided to go with the Professional Development Avenue. With that, I was added to the main club group and PD avenue group. After about 2-3 weeks, they called for an organizing committee for a project. In those days, getting into an organizing committee was not a big deal; you just had to add your name to the thread, and you were in. At that time, I thought, “Let’s see how it goes and get involved in another project later.”
During that period, I got the chance to join the finance avenue of the club. There was only one finance director at that time, Rtr. Sineth Neththasinghe, who led the avenue. He was also a senior batch member I had worked with before in my department, the Department of Finance, so I accepted the offer without any doubt. This opened the doors for me to an amazing journey that led me to where I am toda
At that time, there were only 8 people in the entire finance avenue, including the director. Initially, I had to work with a small circle but learned a lot. The first project I worked on was “Investor ’21,” a stock market-based investment training initiative by the finance avenue. That was the point where I started making contributions. After that, I got the opportunity to be the chairperson of “Investor ’22.” I also had the chance to work with club accounts and finances, which led to me being one of the team leaders for the finance avenue in the 2021-22 year. During my first year in the club, I had many chances to work on and support various projects and backend processes, giving me an understanding of how the club functioned.
As a team leader, one of the best chances I got was working in the event committee for RotaTomorrow 2.0. The university was closed during that time due to COVID-19, and we faced many barriers in organizing this awards ceremony physically at the university. This was one of the most challenging and important organizing committees I worked on because I learned so much, made many friends who stayed with me throughout my Rotaract journey, and it was a memorable event for every Rotaractor in RACUOK.
Usually, ExCo and board applications open in our club in the 3rd quarter. I applied for the position of Director of Finance and was fortunate enough to secure the position. After starting my second year of the club as the Director of Finance, I wanted to organize a musical concert, actually it was a dream I had since day one in the club. Soon after starting the term, I began working on that. It was none other than “Rotrallia 2022” WAYO Live in Concert, which won the gold award for the most outstanding fundraiser in aid of club administration in the RI year 2022-23. Notably, around 45% of the ExCo and board of directors in my presidency year 2023-24 started working and identified their potential through this project, shaping their skills within the club, and helping to elevate our club to greater heights.
As I mentioned earlier, there were only 8 people in the entire finance avenue when I was a member. During my term as the Co-Director of Finance, I recruited 48 members, enabling many members to shape their skills while making a bigger impact on the club and community. I had a great team with me, and soon after completing the Rotrallia project, I started the “Investor ’23” project, focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies. I introduced the “Investor” trophy to the club with the quiz competition, a new addition to Investor during my period.
I was also fortunate enough to be a mentor for one of the RotaTomorrow teams, Team Falcons. I guided and mentored them throughout the project “Swabha with Spa Ceylon,” which won several awards and was the runner-up for the best team in the RotaTomorrow Awards 3.0. I had the pleasure of guiding many potential members to reach their full potential, which ultimately opened doors for them to be selected as board members of the club.
Usually, the presidency of our club goes to a current vice president. However, as the Co-Director of Finance, I was fortunate enough to get that opportunity, thanks to many individuals. Being selected as the President of the club for the year 2023-24 was a journey full of learning, and I was lucky to be surrounded by amazing people who helped make this club better.
Soon after starting as the president, I faced the big challenge of making club year plans and other administrative preparations while managing my semester-end exams. I still remember having the Rotary District Governor’s visit on a night before one of the hardest exams. I was the one who taught that subject to my fellow batchmates as well. From there to here, I learned so much about managing and multitasking.
As the president, I always ran the club with a basic principle: doing the right thing at the right time, knowing what you are doing, and where you are going. I aimed to create an everlasting impact with each of our initiatives while opening a learning curve and various opportunities for my members to learn and grow. With that, I reduced the number of projects while enhancing their scope and impact. Looking back at my year as the president, I’m proud to say that I achieved those goals with the support of my entire team.
As the president, you have to be strong no matter what. You are the one who solves everyone’s problems every day, while no one is there to solve or listen to your problems. You have to take care of everything and be responsible for everything, and everyone expects that from you. Managing all these things with academics and other personal commitments was a tough challenge, but only challenges make you stronger than ever.
One of the greatest opportunities I got as the president was being the chairperson of the Career Fair 2024 at the university. I had many opportunities to grow, learn, and expand my network. It was a complete 3-month career fair with 10 open days from 70+ reputed companies in Sri Lanka, a freelancing forum with ICTA Sri Lanka and renowned freelancers in the country, a panel discussion on how AI connects with professional growth and career development by bridging academia, professional education, and industry. We also introduced two new clubs in line with Career Fair 2024, the Graduate Freelancing Club and the Graduate Entrepreneurs Club of the University of Kelaniya. We also opened an online platform “HIRE ME” to showcase their catalogs and promote their businesses. With 2500+ direct beneficiaries, Career Fair 2024 made history as the best career fair ever at the University of Kelaniya.
During my tenure as president, we completed 46 projects successfully with 148,000+ volunteer hours and over 8 million LKR in financial value. All these projects were well planned and aligned with our mission, focusing on the impact and quality of the output, and the development of our members. When planning and executing these projects, I never focused on quantity but on quality. That’s what I wanted to implement not only for myself but for the club to follow in the coming years. I always believed that if you do whatever you are doing in the best way possible, you will receive what you deserve in the end. Proving that again, we won 24 prestigious awards; 9 gold awards, 5 silver awards, 6 bronze awards, a Rotaract South Asian Multi-District Information Organization Award for the Career Fair chaired by me with my fellow members, the Most Outstanding Secretary, the Most Outstanding President, and the Most Outstanding Club of the year 2023-24. With that, we rewrote not just the RACUOK history but the entire Rotaract movement history with the highest awards count RACUOK has ever had, and this is also the highest number of awards any single club received at the 34th Rotaract District Assembly. Undoubtedly, the year 2023-24 is absolutely one for the history books.
None of these achievements would have been possible without many individuals. First, I want to thank the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, Senior Prof. Nilanthi De Silva, the Director of the Career Guidance Unit, Senior Prof. Dilkushi Wettewe, and Senior Lecturer Dr. Chatura Liyanage for trusting me and supporting me throughout the journey. Then, my parents, who were the pillars of strength, always supporting me. Special thanks to Rtr. Senara Sudasinghe, who was always there for me, and the leaders who guided and mentored me when I was a junior, Rtr. Sineth Neththasinghe, Rtr. Pamoda Jayasanka, and all my fellow members, team leaders, and directors. Finally, as president, my executive committee, board of directors, team leaders, and members, thank you for being the biggest strength behind me.
On a final note, let me say this: Most people think that getting selected for a position is the hardest part, but believe me, the hardest part is keeping up the same spirit you had at the beginning until the end, maintaining your good work, fighting for your vision, and ending your journey with a heart full of gratitude, happiness, and pride. If you are one of those few, congratulations, you have gained the essence of what you can learn from Rotaract. So, let me finish my story here, closing my RACUOK journey with a heart full of gratitude, happiness, and pride. Long Live RACUOK!
Viva La Rotaract!
