Canekeratne Prize for General Merit – General Convocation 2023
Congratulations to Ms N M R G P Nawela – Faculty of Management & Finance, Ms Thesmi Gunasekara – Faculty of Arts for their remarkable achievement in receiving the Open Awards – Canekeratne Prize for General Merit at the General Convocation 2023.
Ms Nawela has demonstrated exceptional academic and extracurricular achievements, graduating with First-Class Honors in International Business with a GPA of 3.97. She has been an international-level swimmer since 2014 representing her country in Asian and South Asian Competitions. She is a former national record holder and a national age group record holder in 800M and 1500M Freestyle Events, securing top positions in Inter-University and National Swimming Championships. Gihini has earned both Sri Lanka University Sports Association and University of Colombo Colours awards for her outstanding performance and was nominated for the Most Outstanding Player of the Year 2022. She has held leadership roles as Vice President for Outgoing Global Volunteer at AIESEC Colombo, Network and Education Specialist at AIESEC Singapore, and the Captain of the University Swimming Team. Her commitment to excellence makes her a deserving recipient of the Canekeratne Prize for General Merit.
Ms Thesmi Gunasekara graduated from the Faculty of Arts with a Second Class (Upper Division) following a Bachelor of Arts specializing in International Relations. She has excelled in sports, being a member of the Sri Lanka National Senior Women’s Hockey Pool and vice-captain of the Sri Lanka Under-21 Women’s Hockey Team. In 2023, she led the University of Colombo Hockey team to victory at the SLUG Hockey Tournament, winning the championship after 13 years and being undefeated throughout the tournament. Her team was also awarded the title of Most Outstanding Sports Team for the year 2023.
Ms Thesmi has also represented the Western Province Hockey Team and captained the Combined Universities Hockey Team at national-level tournaments. In addition to her sports accomplishments, she was actively involved in AIESEC at the University of Colombo and the Rotaract Club of Colombo Uptown. In 2021, she was recognized as the Best Team Leader of AIESEC Colombo Central and later served as the Community Management Team Leader for AIESEC Global. Further, she participated in the Asia Youth Model United Nations in Malaysia in 2020.
