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| Sunday, 12 February 2006 |
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Computer whiz kid : Winner all the way by Umangi de Mel Wishma Jeewanali Samaraweera seems to have gone that extra mile to snatch an all important international prize which has brought Sri Lanka yet another victory. Having bagged the third place in an international essay competition organised by the SAARC conference in the year 2004, the talented Visakhian appears to be an ambitions person to the core.
"It was my father who showed the entry form which was in the papers in December 2004. We were to write an essay not less than 1000 words on Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS 2004 from a student's point of view." 17-year-old Wishma says talking about the moment, her good luck started to. Her parents did not have much convincing to do. Wishma on the other hand, being the bright personality that she's always been, decided to give it a shot, "we weren't taught much about viruses then. So I wasn't very knowledgeable about the two viruses, which is why I searched the net to get the correct information that I needed, to write the essay. Then I analysed the stuff that I got and put it together and made it in my own words. However, I couldn't send it on time. The entries were to be sent to the TB Centre in Colombo." She says adding that her essay was handed over at the eleventh hour, by a close family friend. "I wasn't sure my essay would be even read, let alone getting a place. Which is why when in March, 2005 our principal had called home to inform that I'd won the third place in the SAARC essay competition, I wouldn't believe it. I thought it was a prank. Then our principal had called my mother telling her to come and collect the letter which read that I'd actually won the third place out of hundreds of other kids in seven countries. They had informed that I'd got the shield, certificate and US dollars 600 prize money soon after the SAARC Summit." Wishma could claim her prize in December, 2005 from the Foreign Ministry. She felt truly victorious having beaten seven other countries, especially since there were lots of participants, "Nevertheless, it's a great feeling to be a winner. My teachers were very happy for me." Wishma, unlike a lot of other girls, has always been into computers. In fact, she's one of the few teenagers who's got an international driving license which allows her to use a PC in any country in the world, "I just started my Advanced Level and I'm doing Maths subjects which will enable me to get into IT engineering in the future. I started learning computer lessons in grade seven and I think I'm quite good at it now. I just love it and always get good marks for IT in school." She's also interested in languages as she took Tamil as a subject for her Ordinary Level examination, "I can talk and write very well, in Tamil. But apart from that, I don't do any other extra curricular activity. True, girls aren't very much interested in the IT subject and nobody in my family are into the field either, although my father has a liking. I wanted to follow a hardware course at the National Youth Centre but unfortunately I was the only girl in the class about which my folks weren't very happy. And I had to give it up. Although I'm more into software. I'll definitely do the hardware course atleast after finishing school." Determined to take the chance that she missed once, Wishma hopes to go
to the highest level in IT engineering someday, "I get all the support
from my family, my teachers and my friends and I feel really lucky to be
in my situation." |
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