• Postgraduate accounting student based in Melbourne receives University Medal

Charles Sturt University has awarded a prestigious University Medal to an international student from Sri Lanka.

On Friday last week Ms Prasadika Jayasuriya (pictured above) was conferred with a Master of Professional Accounting and received a prestigious Postgraduate University Medal in recognition of her outstanding academic achievement.

Ms Prasadika, who completed her course at the Charles Sturt Study Centre in Melbourne, said the award win was a welcome surprise.

“Being awarded a University Medal came as a surprise for me,” she said.

“Completing a Master of Professional Accounting needs lots of commitment and dedication, and I am so happy because I feel with this medal my hard work has paid off.”

This isn’t the first time Ms Jayasuriya has been recognised for her outstanding academic performance.

She previously graduated with first class standing and received two gold University Medals when she completed her undergraduate accounting degree at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka.

Over the course of her studies at Charles Sturt, Ms Jayasuriya also excelled and was awarded two Executive Dean’s Awards, two Study Centre Academic Achievement Awards, and an Academic Merit Award.

She also managed to find time to balance her studies with working part-time as a Tax Consultant, supporting fellow Charles Sturt students in her role as a Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) Leader and Peer Discipline Supported Leader, and complete the Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) Australia membership requirements and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants membership.

When reflecting on why she decided to pursue postgraduate study in accounting and finance, Ms Jayasuriya said she wanted to do it to expand her career development opportunities, and she chose Charles Sturt because it has an excellent reputation for graduate employment.

“I enjoy accounting and finance because I like being given opportunities to take up new challenges,” she said.

“I chose to study at Charles Sturt because it is well known for delivering excellent education and has a reputation for having high levels of employability for its graduates.”

Upon hearing the news of her graduation results, Ms Jayasuriya immediately set up a video call with her family in Sri Lanka to celebrate her graduation.

“I am eagerly awaiting to celebrate this special achievement with my family and did a video chat to celebrate the graduation no sooner than the results were out,” she said.

“I want to thank all my lecturers, friends and my family who supported and guided me to achieve this.

“A special thank goes to my husband who supported me to do my studies. He was with me during all my ups and downs and is one of the main reasons behind my success.”

Charles Sturt remains committed to rescheduling its 2020 graduation ceremonies in 2021, with dates to be announced when COVID-19-related restrictions allow.