The 3rd CoMSAA Lecture was held on the 29th of March at the Faculty Board Room with the participation of alumni & medical students.
A summary on the speaker and her lecture is given below.

Climbing your own ‘Everest’

Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala is the first Sri Lankan, and first Sri Lankan woman to summit Mount Everest (8,848m/29,030ft), a double record she achieved at 5:03am on 21st May 2016. She is a mountaineering professional and women’s rights advocate. She currently serves as the first ever Goodwill Ambassador for Women’s Rights for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.

Abstract of the Lecture

The presentation took the audience through a journey to the top of the world and back down, focusing on key life-changing experiences that she encountered during this challenging and unforgettable journey to the summit of Mount Everest.
The presentation focused on the importance of dreaming big and the equal importance of nurturing a dream. She also spoke on the effectiveness of planning, preparation, and teamwork required to achieving one’s goal. The presentation highlighted the importance of changing and adapting to new environments and the critical role that a positive mind can play, on how and why we need to believe in ourselves in order to achieve our goals.
She emphasized that being passionate about what we do is also critical to achieve the best results in whatever we undertake.
She concluded by drawing out the gendered implications of this journey and spoke about how critical it is to challenge gender stereotypes and eliminate discrimination based on gender so that future generations of women and girls, men and boys, can enjoy the benefits of mutual respect and equality.