Press Releases
US Diplomats meet Sri Lankan delegates to 2009 Future World Leaders Summit
Colombo, July 15, 2009: Acting US Ambassador James Moore and Acting Public Affairs Officer of the US Embassy in Colombo Glen Davis held a briefing session for the Sri Lankan delegates leaving to Washington D. C at the end of this week for the 2009 Future World Leaders Summit. Since the year 2000, over 500 next generation Sri Lankan corporate leaders have experienced this compelling week at Georgetown University in Washington. D.C.
Every July, 400 aspiring leaders from around the globe come to Presidential Classroom for the Future World Leaders Summit. For many, the week that they spend in the American capital for this program will change their lives forever. 350 of the Sri Lankans who previously attended the summit have since entered foreign universities on financial scholarships to complete their higher studies. In the United States these include Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, Washington University in St. Louis, Mt. Holyoke, Notre Dame, Macalister, Clark, and the University of Wisconsin. Students have also attended the universities of Sydney, Melbourne and East Sydney in Australia, and Oxford, Nottingham, Warrick, Leeds, Sheffield, Kings, the London School of Economics and Sussex in the United Kingdom. Most of these students will return to Sri Lanka to lead businesses and enterprises after graduating from these world class universities. .
The summit is organized by Presidential Classroom Inc., which is the oldest civic education organization in the United States. “Presidential Classroom is dedicated to challenging the leaders of tomorrow to learn, understand and take action on the formidable problems that face our world,” says Ananda Rajapakse, Regional Director for Presidential Classroom Inc. USA, for South Asia. Presidential Classroom’s mission is to provide the highest quality civic education programs to the next generation of corporate leaders, using Washington, D.C. as a classroom. For nearly four decades, more than 120,000 students from across the United States and around the world have attended Presidential Classroom’s week-long programs, gaining knowledge, insight and experience from this extraordinary educational opportunity.
The Sri Lankan delegation for 2009 Future World leaders Summit, leaving in mid-July to Washington, D.C. for the program are:
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Aneesha Madugalle from the Overseas Children School
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Chayanka Wickremasinghe, Asvin Peiris, and Charutha Rajarathna, all from Royal College
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Sara Silva from Methodist College
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Shaneen Devendra, Ruwendi Wakwella, Radinka Peiris, Thavisha Dharmawardena, Nicola Jayasundera, all from Ladies College
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Evan Perera from American National College
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Dylan John and Helitha Fonseka, both from St. Thomas College Mt Lavinia
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Adhil Bakeer Markar , Rajith Soza, Eraj de Alwis, Thahira Iliyas of American National College Dinoosh De Livera, Aaquib Azeez, Uma Rajeendra, Saad Altaaf, and Insiya Jafferjee, all from the Asian International School
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Tarini Wetttimuny, Deshani Dhamadasa, Nishan Atukorala, Neshantha Jayamaha, Rasanga Wijesinghe, Minelle Siriwardena, Shandheap Shanmuganathan, Harini Senanayake, Manuk Wijeratne, Joshua Selveratnam, Aneeshan Tyagarajah, Samaadhi Weerasekera, and Dhiren Kundanmal, all from the Colombo International School
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Hiyanthi Peiris from Bishops College
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Ruckshani Weerasekera from St. Bridgets Covent
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Avishka Galhena, Dimitri Perera, and Yannick Lawrence, all from the British School
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Nikita Samaratunge from Stafford International
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Ureshka Fernando and Anithra Basnayake, both from the Elizabeth Moir School
Joining the summit from the UK will be Sri Lankans Salman Iliyas, Sooraj Radha Gankande and Shana Dandeniya, all of whom are studying in London.
For photos, please visit www. futureworldleader.org