Journey Through Rotaract - Rtr. Dilini Perera

Rtr. Dilini Perera is the past Editor of our club. With her sweet charming personality she is someone who is generous, subtle and true-hearted. She is known for her smart ways of carrying out her work. 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? 

I was aware a little bit about RACUOCFMF before I joined the university, but what really made me want to join the club was the orientation conducted for us. It created a great impression in my mind and I thought it would be a great opportunity to get to know more people and to have a good time while being able to be a part of great projects.

What changes can a Rotaractor make in the society compared to an ordinary person?

There are a lot of good changes, which a group of people who are determined to make a positive change can do for the betterment of the society compared to an ordinary person. Rotaractors have a better and more organized platform to pool all the required resources and create a bigger and impactful change in the society. At the same time, Rotaract provide many great opportunities to develop a person professionally as well as personally.

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

In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges is to learn how to work with different types of people. When organizing projects and getting things done, team members can have many different suggestions, opinions and viewpoints. Hence, it is important to consider everyone's opinions with equal respect. Another hurdle is the time management. There were many instances where we all had to manage so many things at once. Specially being the past editor, I really learned the importance of managing my time.

Were there any projects which significantly changed your life? If yes, what? 

Yes, there are many projects that left a long-lasting impression in my mind. ‘Future For Us’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Blind Walk’ are few of them. These projects not only created a positive change in many people’s lives but they also taught us to look at life from a different perspective.

Colombo Blind Walk 2016 (Image Source: VEVRA)

Are there any habits or practices that you have started as a Rotaractor and still continue to this date?

Yes. Being a part of Rotaract taught me that even though people have many different ideas and opinions, if worked collectively we can really make a difference. It made me realize the importance of working as a team.

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

Memorable, Inspiring and Exciting.