From Jaffna to Ohio

Dreams are finally coming true for 19-year old R. Anushangan from St. John’s College, Jaffna. Having come first in Jaffna District’s Advanced Level Commerce stream but denied entry into the top local universities in the South, he found new opportunities getting a 55% scholarship at Otterbein College, a private liberal arts school in Ohio, USA with the help of Guidance Counselor and foreign university placement advisor Priyanthi Dissanayake.

Anushangan succeeds the odds

By Nizla Naizer
Most of us live in isolated cocoons, comfortable in our little lives and numb to the trials of the outside world. But, occasionally, there comes a story designed to inspire and make you feel that there is hope in a world fraught with violence and mistrust.

Meet R. Anushangan, a 19-year-old from Jaffna. Educated at St. John’s College, Jaffna, Anushangan is a beacon of hope for many young men and women in the North, who are talented and capable, but need an opportunity to let their skills shine through. Anushangan, ranked first in the District of Jaffna for his AL results in the Commerce stream, is a brilliant student, who thrived in his studies, despite the odds. “Life wasn’t easy for us,” the smart and confident Anushangan tells me, as his keen eyes display the will he has to succeed, no matter what. “But, I had a vision of studying further and becoming an internationally successful businessman.” And, with the help of US University Placement Advisor Priyanthi Dissanayake, he is now within reach of that goal, having obtained a 55% scholarship to Otterbein College, a private Liberal Arts school in Ohio, USA, with the option of working and earning the rest of the tuition.

“I think this is a golden opportunity,” Anushangan says. “In my life, I have experienced many failures. Even though my results were good, I wasn’t getting the opportunities that I deserved, but the chance of studying for my BA in Business Administration, in Otterbein College, is worth all the failures I have experienced.”

The Pain of Discrimination
Anushangan’s biggest ambition, while studying for his ALs, was to get into Sri Jayawardenapura or Colombo University. “That was my dream. I wanted to live and study in Colombo. Mingle with people who have exposure to the world, and learn from them.”

But, although his Z score was the highest in the District and 300th in the island, when he applied to the University Grants Commission, he was told that he could only be offered a Business Management Degree course at the University of Jaffna. He was told that, since he was born and educated in Jaffna, he should continue to study there.

“I was so hurt and upset,” he told me, as his eyes belie the pain. “I felt sad that I was born a Sri Lankan, because I felt the discrimination in their decision, to not let me study here. My classmates from the South, who study CIMA with me and, who received ranks much below me, got into these universities to do their Management Degree, while I had fallen into a chain of segregation.”Against the Odds

Anushangan was down, but not out. With constant support from his family, he looked at other options, which would give him the education and exposure he would need to make it in this competitive world. A similar success story of one of his family friends, whose daughter had also made it to the US, reached his ears and he approached Priyanthi Dissanayake for help.

“We were so impressed by Anushangan, his resilience and his talent that, we did all we could to help him find a place in the USA,” Priyanthi said, and with her efforts, obtained a place for him at Otterbein within days. “We see him as a symbol of a hopeful future for Sri Lanka.”

And she is right. Anushangan is focused and determined. “I will succeed and come back to Sri Lanka, to help the people who assisted me in my journey.” Apart from the support he received from his educated parents, who chose to lead a simple life, Anushangan has a special place in his heart for the teachers at St. John’s College, Jaffna, one of the oldest schools in Sri Lanka, with a history of 186 years. “There were boycotts imposed on the students and the teachers, for months on end, and my teachers would cycle to my home with books concealed, so they could coach me for the exams. They all had faith in me, so they risked much to see me excel. I will not disappoint them.”

A brighter future for the North
Anushangan is hopeful that, with the ensuing peace, things will change for young students like him, who give up their studies in the North, because they don’t see a way out of their hard life through education. “They leave their studies when things get tough, and then, they are too ashamed and guilty to get back into it. They dream of going abroad and working in menial positions, a mentality that must change. My family gave me the faith and confidence I needed to believe I can become a better man. But maybe, our sons and daughters will grow up in a country which is open to new opportunities and a better life.”

With curfews, boycotts and constant threats of war, life in Jaffna was never easy and Anushangan says that, entertainment is so rare, that many young men from Jaffna who visit Colombo with the intention of studying, go wild with the variety of entertainment and exposure to the Western culture they see. “It’s important to remain focused,” he says, “and to go after what you really want. Life in Jaffna is not easy, compared with the South, but we love the land there. I miss the greenery and the environment which I grew up in, whenever I am in the city.”

Educate the individual – Make a better world
Anushangan’s mother calls him mature for his age and, as he explains his philosophy in life, it’s easy to see why. “By educating the individual, you develop the family. By developing the family, you develop the community. By developing the community, you develop the nation. And, by developing the nation, you create a better world. My intention is to contribute to that global development.”

From standing in queues at 5.30 in the morning, to buy a highly inflated loaf of bread, to studying on the sly, at a time when boycotts on education were imposed, from cultivating the family land, because he was bored and had nothing to do, to taking part in many clubs and societies, with the intention of working towards society, Anushangan is a student with a big heart and an open mind. He is an example of hundreds of students out there, who just need a chance to shine. He is an example of the future of this country; on how you can make it against the odds.