Born and raised in Texas, Shanika (17), is the youngest in her family of four. Both her parents are Sri Lankan born but went to America to complete their university studies and to start a family. Shanika has an elder brother, Chandika (20), who is pursuing a degree in computer engineering at the University of Houston.

School: Senior at Friendswood High School
Favorite Subjects: Mathematics, Statistics, Public Communications and Biology.
Dislikes: English class

When asked why she says “I am not a fan of English class because unlike math nothing has a reason or definite answer, and I can't figure out grammar rules to save my life”

Future subjects intended to do in the future: Mathematics, Business and Actuarial Science.

Some of her interests include:

Travelling – Likes visiting new places and to experience new cultures
Taekwondo – Life long dream is to be a ninja!
Fashion – Loves dressing up!
Hanging out with friends – Loves their company
Advocacy – From a very young age, Shanika realized how fortunate she was and has always wanted to help and give back.
Leadership – She likes making things happen and seeing results at the end

Extra Curricular Activities:

Shanika is a part of numerous clubs in and outside of school namely

National Honor Society
National Technical Honor Society
National Spanish Honor Society
President of Local Business Professionals of America chapter at school
Youth Sri Lankan American Association of Houston
Revive to Survive

Apart from all the clubs she attached to, Shanika enjoys Taekwondo, Art and Kandyan dancing!

When asked about her plans for the future: “I hope to attend and graduate college and continue The Big Picture. Just keep doing my best and see what opportunities come my way and hopefully be fearless enough to take them.”

The Big Picture was a project done by Revive to Survive, which was carried out by Shanika who is the project director in aid of the cancer patients at the Maharagama Cancer Hospital. She sketched a few paintings, and then these were colored by the kids and were refined by Shanika again with the help she received from the bunch of volunteers. After framing these drawings, they were exhibited at Casa Serena, which is a gallery situated on Havelock Road, on the 13th of August. Re-prints of the paintings were put up for sale where all proceedings go to the Big Picture project. The original paintings will be donated to the hospital where the kids could see their work everyday and give them a sense of ownership. I it will not only put a smile on their face but it could also be used as a tool to promote the mental wellbeing of the patients.

By Migara Wijesinghe