Urshella Hisham

17 year old Urshella Hisham is the 6th student from Elizabeth Moir to be accepted into Harvard in the past 9 years. With an excellent academic record, outstanding achievements in the field of athletics and a host of other extracurricular activities including debating, participating in MUN and in charity projects to raise funds for the Foundation of Goodness and for war victims in Trincomalee, her acceptance letter would not have been much of a surprise for anyone, save for Urshella who has remained humble and down to earth throughout. 

She is definitely a star to watch!
 

What are you planning on studying at Harvard? Why do these subjects interest you in particular?

This was one tough choice for me to make, almost every course offered at Harvard seem equally intriguing and so interesting!  Right now I'm leaning towards Chemistry, Astrophysics and a secondary concentration in International relations. The most interesting part of chemistry, to me, is that sense of understanding that hits you when you finally see the bigger picture, after weeks of learning so many little facts, and reactions, and they all fall into place. 

Astrophysics is currently my biggest passion. It is so interesting to be able to learn about the all the millions of stars being born or dying beyond the part of the sky we can see, at this very moment, about how every single element that we find on earth today was either directly or indirectly formed inside a massive burning star, and about the many mysteries of the universe, like black holes, and how it all began.

International relations has also been one of my many passions, ever since my first Model United Nations conference. Being able to represent an entirely new country for a few days, and having to stick firmly by a completely new foreign policy and set of ideologies, instilled this sense of wonder in me, of how different countries with so many different communities and cultures are somehow compatible with each other, and manage to coexist despite such diversity. 

The recent outburst of conflicts around the world only makes me more interested in wanting to study the dynamics of our world in this aspect.
 

How did you juggle athletics, debating and keeping up with academic work?

Juggling all these activites was my biggest challenge so far. To keep up with it all, time management was the most important thing.  I just simply had no choice but to learn to manage my time, if I wanted to keep doing what I love. 

If I wanted to keep training to be able to give my best shot at ISAACs, to keep going for debate tournaments during the weekends, to keep participating at MUN conferences, to keep up with community service projects like organising fashion shows to raise funds for the Foundation of Goodness, and building houses for war victims in Trincomalee, and to keep getting A's and A*'s for my exams, I had to manage myself. 
At first, it was tough, just like anything new we try to do, but eventually I got used to it, it became my routine and now I enjoy myself most when I have a tight schedule which is filled with time slots allocated for the things I love.

Leaving can be bittersweet. What are you looking forward to in the US and what will you miss the most here in Sri Lanka?

Right now, I am nothing but excited to go to the US and study at Harvard university, since it is after all, a dream come true! I'm sure that the sadness of having to leave and the nervousness that comes with the idea of living alone will start appearing as August approaches. 
I'm definitely looking forward to getting to know all the people I will meet at Harvard, since the university is known to have the most diverse, interesting people, from different parts of the world. Of course the idea of being able to learn the most complex and interesting details about the subjects that I love is also very appealing to me. 

Without a doubt, it will be my family that I will miss the most when I leave. My parents and my sister have always been there for me, every step of the way, and it will be tough getting used to life without them next to me. I will probably also miss Sri Lankan rice and curry, but I'm pretty sure my Mum is doing a brilliant job at making me eat enough rice and curry for a lifetime, these days.

What advice would you give to your younger self? And what tips can you give to those looking to do as well as you have?

I'm not sure if I am in a position to advice anybody, even myself, but all I can do is share my motto with you all. Always be passionate about what you do; If you aren't enjoying every second of what you are doing, if you don’t look forward to it every day, maybe you aren't doing what you are meant to be doing. 

The students in our country are so talented, and I want to let them know that getting into a foreign university is a very reachable goal, made even more reachable by all the financial aid and support that most universities provide today. All it takes is some guidance, and hard work. I wish you all the very best!

What are your plans for the future? Do you want to return to Sri Lanka after your studies?

Just like every other 17 year old out there, I haven't got I all figured out either. But I do know that whatever happens, I definitely want to return to Sri Lanka after my studies. Just like my parents, I too believe that one is happiest when surrounded by family and friends, and one day my ideal arrangement would be to make use of this amazing opportunity to be of service to my country. 

It may sound cliché but it is my honest opinion. I hope I will be able to find an avenue based on chemistry or Astrophysics, someday here in Sri Lanka. On that day, I will jump on the first flight back to my country.

Text by Upeksha Hettiarachchi