Senior Manager – Walmart Inc,
Graduated in Law, Forensic and Business Administration, Chadron State University
PhD candidate at Howard Taft University
Our very own Charith Kapukotuwa is the current Sri Lankan record holder for Shot Put and Hammer Throw. He started his academic and athletic careers at Ananda National College in Chilaw. He was admitted to Royal College in 2007 and he continued to excel in sports at the national level. As he entered Royal, the Loyalty Pledge stepped into help him by providing financial assistance to support his sporting activities. In recognition of his sporting achievements, he was awarded with coveted Royal Crown in 2009. Realizing the academic and sporting potentials reposed in Charith, Chadron State University in the USA awarded him with an undergraduate scholarship after he completed the G.C.E A/L examination.
The life at Chadron State University was a new chapter in Charith’s life. The University gave him the opportunity to obtain advanced coaching, right nutrition and accurate bio-mechanics in order to improve his sporting abilities. Consequently, he was able to place the first national record under his name in 2012. He was the youngest Sri Lankan shot put thrower to achieve this feat. He thereafter broke his own record on four occasions in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. He is the first Sri Lankan player to throw the shot put more than 17m. He became 4th in the shot put event at the South Asian Games in 2010. Above all, he currently holds the national record for Hammer Throw as well.
He read Law and Forensic as his first degree at the Chadron State University. He subsequently completed the Master of Business Administration degree at the same University. He is currently a PhD candidate at William Howard Taft University in the USA. At present, he is the Senior Manager – Supply Chain Management and Sustainment at Walmart Incorporation, the world-renowned American multinational operating retail operations.
We had the opportunity to meet with Charith recently when he made a generous donation to the Loyalty Pledge. He considers that his donation is a part of repaying his debt to the Loyalty Pledge, Royal College as well as Sri Lanka. This is a brief interview we had with Charith to share his reflections on the Loyalty Pledge and Royal College with young Royalists.
How Do You Consider Your Life at Royal College?
It was undoubtedly the best time in my life. I started competing at a very high level at the young age of 15 and my capability paved the way for me to secure an athletics scholarship from Royal. Mr. Rauf who was the Senior Games Master at that time was instrumental in arranging the scholarship for me. It was a new challenge in life whilst being away from parents and friends, and not knowing English. The life at Royal helped me to inculcate the skills that need to be successful leader. Joining Royal gave me the opportunity to improve my performance and to compete at high level with confidence. It also offered me the chance to earn a fully funded scholarship from one of the largest educational institutions in the World. I was able to make all these achievements mainly due to the opportunities offered by Royal and the support extended by the LPMC. Therefore, Royal and LPMC have played a big role in my life in making me who I am today.
How Did Loyalty Pledge Support You?
My parents could not financially support my sporting activities because they worked in the Government sector. The Loyalty Pledge came forward to support me without any hesitation. Mr. Kamal Abeysinghe and Mr. Mahesh Nanayakkara interviewed me and they gave me the assurance that the LPMC would take care of me. I received Rs. 5000/- per quarter and it was a big amount at that time. I used that stipend for my training and to buy nutrition. It was a big support for me when I could not afford them. My additional training and nutrition helped me to improve my performance. My performances at competitions earned me the scholarship at the University at the USA. Therefore, if not for Royal and LPMC, I don’t know where I would have been today.
How Did You Balance Your Academic and Sport Activities?
It is a challenge but it becomes normal through practice. My secret is that when I get up everyday, I list out everything I need to do in the day. I write the schedule for the day with all details such as timing for leaving home, lunch break, leaving office, studying etc. I include details as much as possible so that my day is planned and documented ahead. I believe that you should not try to resolve everything in the head but instead, it should resolve matters in the document. An ordinary human does not have the capacity to remember everything. I have a note book all the times. I strike off each item when I complete it so that it makes the day more rewarding and motivated. So, winning a documented day is my secret of winning!
What is Your Message to Young Royalists?
Opportunities are endless and those are available in abundance everywhere. No matter where you are borne and who you are. The most important thing is your preparedness to grab the opportunity when it emerges. I started my life in Chilaw and I am working at a senior position in Walmart. Being open for opportunities and grabbing them, are keys to winning your life. The main reason for my shift from Law and Forensic into Business Administration was that I realized learning business would offer me more opportunities than completing a Juris Doctor. I strongly believe in a universal law that if you work on one goal putting your heart and soul, it will produce results you believe. Securing good education is the foundation for your life. Thereafter, focus on your goal and do not deviate. It is important to remember that there is no easy road and road is always hard. The hard road turns into an easy road during the passage. There is no gain without suffering a pain. What the young generation has to remember is that the World is a very big place today and you can succeed any where by doing anything what you like if you are willing to go on the hard road.
What is the Message to Old Royalists?
The College has given me so much. The LPMC stepped into my life at the right time and supported me with finances when I did not have money. I am indebted to the donors of the LPMC who had financed my scholarship at that time. My recent donation to the LPMC was a long outstanding for me. I thought this is the right time when most of the families in Sri Lanka are encountering economic hardships. Sri Lanka is our country and it is a Paradise. We will lose the Paradise if we continue to navigate the Country in the wrong direction. There are lot of Sri Lankans outside Sri Lanka who want to donate to Sri Lanka to ensure our country navigates in the right direction. Any donation to the LPMC is not merely a donation to the LPMC alone but it is bigger contribution to the country to make better citizens for Sri Lanka. Therefore, one way to support our Motherland is to help our alma mater through the LPMC.