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�