When she found out she’d won the Outstanding Graduate Prize for Diploma of Communication, Tishanie Ratnappuly was with her family in the sacred Sri Lankan city of Kataragama. “I was in a hotel room with my parents, my sister, and my grandmother. They were all crying, and it was very emotional. My Dad said, ‘See? This place is magical. It does good things!’ He’s quite superstitious, but they do say it’s where the gods are. For Hindus and Buddhists, it’s a very significant pilgrimage place,” she says.
Tishanie says the prize, awarded to the student who achieves the highest grade-point-average over the course of their diploma, feels like an ‘amazing honour.’ “Academic achievement has always been a big thing for me, and I’ve worked very hard,” she says. “And it’s a way to show gratitude to my parents who’ve helped me so much. I think they deserve all the credit for my success.”
Finding her pathway after a turbulent time
The win also follows a turbulent period for Tishanie when she struggled to find her direction. “After my HSC, I took a gap year because I was unsure. I started an education degree just before we went into lockdown. I hadn’t put much thought into my decision, and after a year, I wasn’t happy, so I deferred.” She thought she’d take a break and look around for something to do the following year. “I’ve always been interested in journalism – I’ve always wanted to be a writer,” she says. Her uncle, who’s a UTS graduate now working in TV, recommended the Bachelor of Communication. “He told me it’s a really good uni if you want to get into media,” she says. “Then I saw that UTS College has a mid-year intake for the Diploma of Communication, which is a pathway to the degree. And I could do an accelerated course, which meant I’d finish at UTS without losing any time.”
Tishanie was back on track. She says, “Before I started my diploma, I was very confused, but UTS College was amazing. It made me feel like I had much more control over my education and my career path. And the teachers are great. The College has helped me immensely.” She says that her best memory was the friends she made. “They’re some of the best people I know,” she says. “We only knew each other for about a year, but we were all in the same boat, and the College is quite small, so you get to have more one-on-one interaction.”
A new way of learning
She says Learning.Connected, the model of learning at UTS College helped her excel. “I found it great because I could learn at my own pace. If you’re willing to put in the effort, it gives you more accountability. You can take control of your learning. It worked out for me pretty well,” she says. “And the coursework developed my writing skills tenfold. I hadn’t had much experience with essays and academic writing before. I’m also more confident in social situations now. I think the group work helped me come out of my shell.”
With her diploma done and dusted, Tishanie is now studying for her Bachelor of Communication at UTS. “I’m majoring in journalism and my second major is writing and publishing. My biggest goal is to be a published author. I want to write novels and be a columnist or write for TV,” she says. “I want to be part of sharing stories with the world.” She’s also getting involved in campus life. “I’ve already joined the Literary Society and the Women in Business Society and I’m excited to see what they do. I love the Literary Society – I’m obsessed with reading, and I’ve always got my nose in a book,” she says.
A balanced life and a proactive attitude
In her free time, Tishanie’s also a bit of a film buff. “I think my favourite filmmaker is Yash Chopra. He changed the face of Bollywood and Indian cinema. I love a film he produced called Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. It came out in the 90s and it’s still playing in cinemas in India. My family think I’m weird for liking Indian cinema and not Sri Lankan cinema, but I grew up with it. I even started learning Hindi when I was about 18. I’m conversational in it now,” she says. “And I love singing. I’ve been training professionally since I was about 10. My brain cannot function without music.”
Tishanie says that a balanced life helps keep stress at bay, along with a proactive attitude. “The main thing is to just do your best and keep going. You get there in the end. Now when I face challenges, I’m like, ‘You know what? It’s fine. As long as I’m healthy and alive and I keep moving forward, that’s all that matters.’”
Find out more about the Diploma of Communication>