10 Sep 2019

Without a scholarship, Uddaka Wijesinghe would not have been able to come to College, and that is something he will never forget. 鈥淕etting that scholarship made a huge difference to me, it changed the way I was going about my life. I knew I had been given an incredible opportunity and I really wanted to show how much I appreciated it. I tried hard in class, I tried hard in every single thing I did. I wanted to do and be the best I could, and pay back the school鈥檚 faith in me.鈥

He has many fond memories of his time at College, especially his final year when he was Head of Julius House. 鈥淚t was such a positive end to my time at school. As a young adult, you don鈥檛 often get such good leadership opportunities. I put everything into the House, into that role.鈥

Uddaka went on to study medicine at the University of Otago and is now a house surgeon, currently on rotation at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, and contemplating training as either a general surgeon or gastroenterologist. 鈥淚 knew from quite a young age I wanted to do medicine. It鈥檚 such a good career for me as it combines the things I most enjoy 鈥 interacting with people and science.鈥

He learns new things every day at Middlemore 鈥 one of the biggest and busiest hospitals in the country serving a community with very high health needs 鈥 and finds medicine endlessly fascinating. 鈥淏eing a doctor definitely changes your perspective. You see people at their most vulnerable, and have to cope with some difficult situations that you can鈥檛 prepare for. It forces you to mature.鈥

A sense of gratitude and the desire to do some good in the world are ingrained in Uddaka鈥檚 character. He recently started gifting an amount on a regular basis to support College鈥檚 scholarship fund. 鈥淚 gained a lot from the College experience, and it would be great to see others receive the same opportunities. I鈥檓 also a big believer in staying loyal to those that help you, which is why I鈥檝e started giving back.鈥