Journey Through Rotaract - Rtr. Ranithri Samarawickrama

Rtr. Ranithri Samarawickrama is the Past Assistant Secretary of our club. With her lovable, bubbly personality, she is someone who is always ready to give a helping hand to anyone. She is a perfectionist who does her job methodically and in the best way possible. She is also capable of overcoming any challenge that she encounters. To share some of the great experiences and knowledge she gathered, we invited her to share her Journey Through Rotaract.

What made you join Rotaract? 

Having being a part of the Interact Club of my school, I was already familiar with the Rotaract movement. However, I didn’t know there was a club in our University until once when an orientation was done and we were introduced to the club. All my friends were interested in joining the club and I definitely wanted to be involved and keep myself occupied in something more than just studies, hence the decision to join Rotaract! At the time, it seemed like the best place of relaxation, happy vibes and a place to simply have a good time with my friends.

Happy Street Pooch (Image Source: Klickson U Photography)

How did Rotaract influence you to become the person you are today? 

Rotaract for me was undoubtedly the ideal platform that helped me groom myself personally and professionally and something I’ve realized being a Rotaractor is that you get the opportunity to be a part of projects that would truly inspire you and make you believe that you can make a difference in the community. 

What is your most memorable or treasured experience being a Rotaractor?

Simply the friends that turned into family and the experience I got through this movement being a part of each and every project. However, one thing that would always stand out and would remain in my heart is when I co-chaired KDF – World Down Syndrome Day Celebrations. Like I mentioned before, certain projects can truly inspire you to make a difference in the community, and I believe KDF was one of those projects which truly made a positive impact on the society.

KDF - World Down Syndrome Day Celebrations 2016

What do you think are the challenges an undergraduate would have to face being a Rotaractor? And what are your suggestions to overcome those? 

Throughout my journey at Rotaract, I got the opportunity to work with different teams in organizing projects and one of the biggest challenges that I encountered working in teams was people management. There would always be different opinions, suggestions from people, but the challenge is how you work as a team and successfully pull off a project. It’s always important to listen and respect everyone’s decision and work collaboratively as one team. 

What is that one thing you wouldn’t have done if it was not for Rotaract? 

Dare to meet and open up your life for new people.

If you are to put your experience as a Rotaractor into 3 words, what would they be?

Fun, Challenging and Rewarding 

25th Rotaract District Conference 2016 (Image Source: District 3220 Official Media Arm)