Asitha Prabhath Mallawaarachchi

My birthplace is Galgamuwa, located on the border of the Kurunegala District of Sri Lanka. But due to my education, I had to live in Kurunegala, which is now my hometown. I have been interested in education since I was a child. As a result, I did not participate in sports but engaged in other subject-related activities. Art is especially important to me. I have studied dancing as a subject and represented school drama and dancing groups and Eastern and Western bands, along with participation in debate groups, environmental associations, scout associations, prefect board, literary associations and Buddhist associations. 

My academic career began with an honors degree in Mass Communication from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. Although I initially wanted to study law, I chose the University of Kelaniya to study Mass Communication as I did not get enough marks for it. There I won the 1st class and gold medal and graduated with the highest score of the year. In 2012, I also won the ‘Shelton Gunarathne’ scholarship for the highest scoring student, making me the first student to win that scholarship. 

During my undergraduate studies, I trained at several institutions. As a screenwriter at Susila Productions House, I provided creative support for several teledramas. After that, I worked as a media assistant at the CAFFE organization and later as a journalist at Rivira News Paper. Following graduation, I joined with the Ministry of Economic Development as a Press Officer. 

Thereafter I was appointed as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Kelaniya. It was a turning point in my life. Until then, my only life goal was to become a university lecturer.  After this, I chose to attend the University of Tokyo, Japan for my postgraduate degree. There I studied for a master’s degree in journalism but I was unable to complete it. I returned to Sri Lanka due to a sudden illness. Instead, I obtained a Master of Philosophy in Mass Communication from the University of Kelaniya. There I studied Gesture Communication and later was appointed as a Lecturer in Mass Communication at the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. I am currently teaching and studying in areas such as media research, print media, media and culture and media criticism. 

I am now a member of ECLIPSE18 where I am studying for a Ph.D. in Health Communication. I hope to create a model of how the media should deal with a health issue.