Dinushi Kulasekere: My roommate, close friend, captain and mentor. Dinushi is a second year economics and pre-medical student at The Ohio State University and probably one of the busiest people I know. Apart from studying almost 24/7, she dances, travels, volunteers and does much more. I met her my freshman year of OSU, and a friendship blossomed between us after we both joined the same dance team. It's been two years, and now we live together, dance together, cry together, party together, etc, etc. Dinushi has been such an inspiration for me in terms of being a strong and independent woman (she has a man but it's fine) going through so many different stresses while handling them well. I'm insanely proud of how much she's accomplished by just her second year in college and I can't wait to see what more she does in the future. Here's a look at my super-stressed not-so-random friend!
How stressed are you right now on a scale of 1-10?
"7"
Why?
"I have two lab reports due tonight and I will be gone all weekend for a dance competition. And when I get back I have too much work due because I’m in too many classes right now."
How do you feel about yourself as a student?
"I think I’m a good student but I don’t always stay ahead of my work and I procrastinate a lot. But my performance doesn’t suffer…my life kinda suffers because I don’t allow enough time for myself."
Are you passionate about what you’re pursuing right now in college?
"Yes. I get asked a lot about why I'm econ and pre-med, but I’m really passionate about economics and this is the last chance I’ll have to pursue it. But I also want to be in medicine which is why I'm premed, so I'm prepared for that path too."
Why do you want to be a doctor?
"I want to be a doctor because I’ve spent a lot of time in the hospital setting and I can see myself working there. When I was there I can see myself doing that in the future. Something personal about myself is that I want my career to have a big impact on people and I feel that medicine is a good avenue to reach that goal."
How do you think economics helps with premed?
"I want to ultimately get an MBA and go into Health Admin and it’s a good background for business because its analytical and it’s a social science, so I can understand people too. I feel like any occupation can benefit from econ because it’s very practical."
Has your culture influenced your decisions on your career path?
"Honestly…no. I feel like there are other cultures that push students into pursuing medicine or other very difficult tracks, but Sri Lankan culture doesn’t seem like that. However, going to Sri Lanka and seeing the state of healthcare there has definitely impacted my reasoning for going into medicine because I have been motivated heavily. My uncle is also a doctor in Sri Lanka and I see the benefits of free healthcare on people, which is why I am very supportive of non-profit health care."
Have your parents influenced your decision?
"Actually, my dad has been against me going into medicine because he works in healthcare and sees some negative aspects of it. My mom has been very supportive and she wants me to be in healthcare but in somewhat of a leisurely manner such as teaching in a medical school. For the most part, my career path has been my choice."
What else are you involved in outside of academics?
"I am a co-captain of OSU Nashaa, a premier Bollywood fusion dance team.
I volunteer at OSU Suicide Prevention.
I am a member of the Pure Water Access Project, which is a non-profit.
I am the travel chair for an org called Volunteers Around the World, which raises money to build medical clinics in underprivileged areas in South America.
I’m also a research assistant for the econ department."
How do you de-stress?
"Cooking definitely de-stresses me. I watch Netflix a lot and I love reading, but I never have time for it. I love hanging out with my roommates, friends, and the girls on my dance team too."
Who would you usually go to vent to?
"Most of the time, I go to boyfriend, Manit. And if I’m stressed about him then I go to my friends haha."
Is there any advice you wish to tell students who are super stressed or have similar goals as you?
"I would tell younger people that it’s really important that even when you have your long-term goal in mind, you have to treat yourself! At the end of the day, everything will be okay and you have to take care of your mental health. If you don’t take your mental and physical health seriously, there’s no point to living out your goals tomorrow."
