70+ Faces: JCU Graduation Ceremony 2023

More than 1400 students will celebrate their graduation from James Cook University in Townsville this week. See who made it into our gallery.

Bachelor of Commerce graduate Suhithri Paranamanage with her mother Lorainne Cooray who flew from Sri Lanka for the ceremony.

One of James Cook University’s sharpest minds has bid a fond farewell to the institution after spending the last three years pursuing a life goal inspired by turmoil abroad.

Bachelor of Commerce graduate Suhithri Paranamanage, an international student from Sri Lanka, has made Townsville her home for the last three years as she studied economics and business.

Now, she’s not only led the graduate address during her graduation, but is already employed at KPMG.

But her journey to JCU started far, far earlier, with the economic crisis that engulfed her homeland in 2019.

“Economics is something I really enjoyed studying in High School, but coming from Sri Lanka, a country’s that’s experiencing an economic crisis, I really wanted to study the technicalities of how an economy recovers and what can be done,” Ms Paranamanage said.

She scored a casual position at the national tax audit company six months ago, and credits the support the tertiary education institution provided during a turbulent period for helping her achieve her goals.

JCU Graduation Ceremony 2023: 70+ faces celebrate graduating

VIEW GALLERY

“I’m very excited, I’ve been waiting three years for this moment. The highlight during that time has really been how close knit and welcoming JCU has been from the start, especially as an international student, coming to Australia in 2020 just at the onset of the pandemic, it was a very difficult time.

“But JCU has been great and I’ve really enjoyed everything about it. At JCU, it really does feel like you’re not just a number, you’re a person and you get recognised for what you do.”

Just weeks into her studies, far from home, the university was plunged into lockdowns in response to the Covid pandemic.

Retiring chancellor Bill Tweddell oversees his final graduation.

While the ability to learn face-to-face may have become harder, Ms Paranamanage said the university still provided enough opportunity for her to score her first job in her chosen field.

“I got a casual position with KPMG six months ago, that’s where JCU really helped, they made it really easy to interact with professionals and that definitely made it much simpler to find a job.”

Now, with her family’s support, she’s set on furthering that career.

“The whole family’s been really excited, my mum actually flew all the way from Sri Lanka to be here for my graduation.”

The graduation ceremony was a bittersweet one for outgoing Chancellor Bill Tweddell, who donned his official robes and hat for the last time.

“It means the world to me to oversee my final graduation ceremony here in my hometown,” Mr Tweddell said.

“This is what our university is about. It’s sort of implanted everywhere, My dentist, my doctor, everywhere I go, I’m benefiting as a result of the education provided here at JCU. That makes me very, very happy.”

Originally published as 70+ Faces: JCU Graduation Ceremony 2023