Dinuli Francisco, a journalist on the Sunday Observer, has been awarded the Parvathi Nagasundaram Gold Medal for her academic achievements in English. A graduate of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dinuli earned a First Class Honours degree in English, achieving the highest Grade Point Average. This is the first First Class Honours awarded by the Department of English and Linguistics after a long gap.
An old girl of St. Mary’s Convent, Matara, Dinuli, entered journalism as the youngest journalist at Lake House in 2019. She began her career at the Daily News in 2019, where she worked for three years before joining the Sunday Observer in 2023. She was also a features writer at the Daily Mirror in 2022. She also secured second place in the Poetry Competition organised by the university’s English Literary Association in 2023 and was named Best Columnist at the Faculty Publications Day in 2022.
Reflecting on her journey, Dinuli shares her inspiring message: “Do not let others define your worth. Take every opportunity at hand. And remember that persistence and passion will carry you through challenges. Believe in yourself, even when the path isn’t clear; sometimes, the obstacles make the journey worthwhile.”
