ANC fraternity transforming communities

Amanda Daulagala is a bright and distinctive individual who transferred to the State University of New York at Oswego ( SUNY Oswego) under ANC’s US University Transfer Programme. She graduated cum laude in 2016 with a Bachelor’s of Science ( BSc) in Biochemistry, with an outstanding research background.

Hailing from Girls’ High School, Kandy, Amanda has come a long way, going out of her comfort zone to make a difference in the world. Since a very young age, she developed a great interest in doing what she can do to help patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. With that in mind, she opted to do her A/ Levels in Science Stream, wanting to enter a medical faculty. Later, realizing the opportunities that lie ahead of her, she decided to go abroad to do her degree without attempting to sit for her A/ Level for the second time. At ANC, she found the US university transfer option, which allowed her toenter a US degree soon after A/Levels and complete two years of her degree in Sri Lanka. Before Amanda was transferred to SUNY Oswego, she received the High Achiever’s Award at ANC and a merit scholarship to complete her degree in the US. At SUNY Oswego, she also received department honors for her research work. Upon graduation, the university offeredher a Research Assistantship at the Department of Chemistry, trusting her to follow her heart.

Owing to heroutstanding GPA and research work, Amandahas now been given direct entry to the PhD program in Biomedical Science at Medical University of South Carolina ( MUSC). Additionally, the university has granted her a full tuition scholarship as well as a stipend to cover her living cost during her studies, encouraging her to continue further research work in the field.

Below are the excerpts from the interview with Amanda…

Why did you choose the US university transfer option at ANC?

nally from Kandy and this gave me the opportunity to live in Colombo to learn a lot about living on my own. I also realized that the research strength of US universities is much greater than other universities around the world.

What made you want to conduct in-depth research into Alzheimer’s disease?

Research is one way to find safe and effective treatments for patients with Alzheimer’s disease as well as to improve their quality of life. Losing one’s memory is a miserable state to be in. I have always developed empathy for those patients. Research in this field is essential in finding better treatments and ways to prevent and cure Alzheimer’s disease.

How do you compare your learning experience at ANC and at SUNY Oswego in the US?

The faculty- wise, ANC maintains the same standards as the university in the US. ANC has a panel of wellqualified and knowledgeable lecturers, who deliver US curricula very effectively. Teaching as well as how they interact with the students are similar and sometimes, even more impressive than the US university. However, the US university offered a lot of research opportunities. American universities are known for their strong research work. At SUNY Oswego, I received the chance to work as a Research Assistant, which opened doors for many opportunities.

Do you think choosing a US university over an Australian one has added any value to the qualification you gained?