Stars Shine Brighter with Private Scholarship Support

Udathari (Thuri) Seneviratne is rare among her childhood friends to get a chance to go to college. That's because in Columbo, Sri Lanka, where she was born and raised, only the elite get past a high school education.

Growing up, her father was a journalist and banking executive; her mother a teacher. Three years ago, when she reached the college age, both parents took jobs in the United States in part so that she had more opportunities for her future. Since the move meant taking entry-level jobs, getting here was just the beginning to make sure that their only child would receive a college education.

Paying for that education would be the real uphill battle.

Seneviratne has always been a shining star. When she was just four, she performed for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Then, at 11 years old, she served as the Sri Lankan delegate to the first International Children's Conference on Environment, held in 1995 in the United Kingdom. She's a published poet. She speaks multiple languages. She's a student government senator for the College of Sciences. And, thanks to the help of private scholarships, next year she'll be able to add a college degree to her list of accomplishments.

“I would not have been able to go to college without the scholarships that I received,” she says. “Tuition and fees are constantly increasing and the government can only provide so much support. If it weren't for private donors willing to help, it would be a really bad situation for people who can't afford to go to college.”

Staying true to her ambitious, well-rounded character, Seneviratne is a math major and a theater minor in UNLV's prestigious Honors College, which serves just 700 students per year. She likes the personal attention the Honors College provides her, which she believes would be hard to find at a larger university.

“The Honors College is a highly selective college which recruits excellent students who satisfy high admissions standards, and provides those students with educational opportunities available at small private liberal arts colleges,” says Stephen Rosenbaum, dean of the college.

Honors College students are selected on the basis of their likely ability to succeed in and benefit from the college's programs. An admissions committee in the college assesses past academic performance, academic preparation, and motivation. The committee uses grades, letters of recommendation, submitted essays, college entrance exam scores, and occasional interviews to evaluate candidates.

After graduating from UNLV, Seneviratne hopes to attend UCLA for a Ph.D. in biostatistics and eventually come back to Las Vegas to start up a biostatistics program here at UNLV, where there currently isn't one.

“I love UNLV. It has given me so much so I want to someday be able to give something back,” she says.

While she has a place in her heart for UNLV, her real motivation to succeed comes from her family.

I want to finish school and get a good job as soon as possible so that I can support my parents, who have sacrificed so much for me.”