The choice of young leaders
Jeyakumar Nijanthan who is a former Deputy Head Prefect of Royal College, Colombo speaks of his campus journey at IIT
The Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT) has been a pioneer in producing world class graduates since its inception in 1990. Many of its graduates have become innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders who are empowering Sri Lanka’s IT and corporate sphere.
The campus focuses on producing allround graduates that are able to meet the challenges of the corporate world in the current competitive digital world we live in. IIT has been the choice of many young leaders and prefects who have established themselves prior to entering the world of higher education.
Jeyakumar Nijanthan is an all- round student and a former Deputy Head Prefect of Royal College, Colombo. Nijanthan who is 24 years old was born in Jaffna. He graduated last year in BSc (Hons) Information Systems with Business Management from the University of Westminster, UK, offered at IIT. Nijanthan is currently working at DirectFN as an Associate Business Analyst.
In a candid one- on- one interview, he spoke of his experience as Deputy Head Prefect of Royal College, life as an undergraduate and his fond memories at IIT.
Following are excerpts of the interview with Jeyakumar Nijanthan;
Your time in both school and campus has been filled with much excitement and accomplishment. Could you describe your time at school?
one of the most memorable moments in my life and this experience helped me in my later years after leaving school.
They say the best times in one’s life is during their undergraduate or campus years. Could you describe what your campus experience has been like at IIT?
Campus experience at IIT was exceptionally interesting. It was like an adventure on a daily basis where we were able to experience and learn new things at campus. The culture of IIT was excellent. We got to associate with many individuals who are coming from different background and also people who are very friendly. I’m so happy to say that I was able to find a bunch of best friends at IIT, who are still with me during thick and thin.
Did you participate in any extracurricular activities at IIT?
My higher studies at IIT started in January 2012. On the very first day itself I was appointed as the Batch representative for the January Intake students. Later on it continued for four consecutive years, where I eventually became the Batch Representative for the batch of 2016. During my second year I became the Vice President of the IIT Students Union. This gave me the opportunity to organize the biggest event of the IIT calendar – Stagecraft, which is an annual talent show organized by the students of IIT. During my third year, I became the secretary of the Rotaract Club of IIT. This was one of the best achievement in IIT, because through Rotaract I was able to give something back to the society through community service projects. Through all four years I was the co-chairperson of the project iFM, which is the official radio broadcasting station of IIT during Cutting Edge exhibition.
IIT has produced many brilliant men and women who are empowering many organizations and industries. Why would you recommend IIT for those who want to become innovators and entrepreneurs?
When I was out from the school, I did my research about areas which I found interesting. As outcomes of few psychometric tests, I came to a conclusion that I would love to pursue my future career in the fields of Business and IT. Then I was looking for the institutes which provides degrees in Business and IT. After much thought, I chose IIT. Informatics has been there in the industry for 27 years and has produced many talented individuals. Before I joined the institute, I compared the modules and its standards which they provide to the students. They were perfectly aligned with the career path of the degree programme I wanted to follow. Furthermore, IIT have produced many award winners international and local competitions such as Microsoft Imagine Cup competitions and NBQSA. For an innovator to innovate, he should have the basic knowledge and fundamental concepts to develop his innovative ideas. I can assure that IIT can provide you the right guidance to become an innovator.
What are your future plans and goals in life?
I always wanted to become an entrepreneur. That has always been the motivation in life. The question that we always need to ask our self is if “we are living your own dream or someone else’s.” To follow in the footsteps of Young Leaders such as Jeyakumar Nijanthan and have a successful career in the Corporate World contact IIT on their hotline: 0722727272, or write to them on admissions@iit.ac.lk. You are welcome to visit IIT Main Campus at No.57, Ramakrishna Road, Colombo 6.