- The British Council The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build opportunity and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people. We work in the Arts, English, Education and Society, including science and sport - and in the process contribute to the security and prosperity of the UK and the countries where we work. Last year we engaged face to face with 18.4 million people and reached 652 million. We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government. Our total turnover in 2009/10 was £705 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government was £211 million. For every £1 of government grant we receive, we earn £2.50 from other sources. For more information, please visit: http://www.britishcouncil.org/
- The International Student Awards are open to international students studying full-time at UK universities, colleges, English language schools and boarding schools, on courses lasting six months or more.
- Major international figures that have studied in the UK include former US president Bill Clinton, former Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi, sculptor Anish Kapoor, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, fashion designer Rifat Ozbek, authors Jung Chang and Vikram Seth, and Malaysian-born shoe designer Jimmy Choo.
Swansea student shines in British Council's International Student Awards 2011
Sri Lankan student Kaushalya Kularatnam‘s inspirational story of student life in Swansea was named a ‘runner-up’ in the UK’s biggest international student competition for her thoughtful and moving ‘letter home’.
Kaushalya, originally from Colombo, Sri Lanka was one of more than 1,200 students, from 118 countries to enter the ninth annual International Student Awards – a major initiative from the British Council.
Kaushalya said: “I chose Swansea University as they have a really good Computer Science faculty and, since my arrival, I’ve found all my lecturers to be extremely helpful, friendly, supportive and encouraging – which has helped me to strike a good balance and to make the most of my time here in Wales.“
Hailing from C.M.S Ladies’ College, one of the most outstanding private schools in Sri Lanka, Kaushalya started her undergraduate degree at Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology in 2008 and transferred to Computer Science at Swansea University in 2009 where she is doing exceptionally well with her studies.
Dr. Monika Seisenberger, Lecturer in Computer Science, Swansea University’s College of Science, said: "Kaushalya is an outstanding and ambitious student who is currently completing a challenging final year project on the implementation of a chess machine which she named Fischer 2.0. The Computer Science Department is very pleased by her excellent progress, and we are impressed that she nevertheless finds the time and energy to participate in such a wide range of out of class activities.”
Pictured (above) Kaushalya Kularatnam (L) with Dr. Monika Seisenberger (R).
In addition to studying full-time, Kaushalya is president of the newly formed Swansea Chess Club - which was placed 6th at the British Universities Chess Association Tournament in February 2011. And, last year, she won a prize for her poster presentation, on Artificial Intelligence, in The Lovelace Colloquium – a competition organised by BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT.
She is the editor of the Tashan Society and an Excellent Bharatha Natyam (Indian Classical Dance) dancer. During her vacations, Kaushalya also teaches Maths and English to London school children, aged 5-15.
Kaushalya concluded: “My experience here has been both enriching and an eye opener. I am not only enjoying the perks of the western culture but there also many opportunities to enjoy Sri Lankan and south Asian culture. I'm getting the best of both worlds - home away from home.”
Kaushalya collected her £100 prize from the British Council at a prestigious national awards ceremony in London.
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