Valedictorian Speech – IM

To the honorable guest, Chairman Utsuda Shoei, President Takeo Kikawa, GSIM Dean, GSIR Dean, all the faculty and staff, guests, family, and most importantly, the highlight of this hall, the class of 2024 – good morning to all of you.

Let me start with a small story about my best friend. My best friend was a genius and a very talented person. But he had this problem where whatever he did, he ended up being second or always missing the opportunity to succeed. Throughout school, he was consistently the second-highest scorer in class, always a step behind the top spot. His dreams of representing our country in badminton were crushed by a sudden injury right before the selection and narrowly missed being selected for a leading university by being the last person of the cut off. He missed being the top of his undergraduate batch by a difference of 0.0003 in his GPA. He got break up just a week before their wedding, faced depression and even tried to suicide him self. He was supposed to be the chairman of his father’s organization but lost everything due to COVID-19 and the economic crisis. Every time he was close to the winning post, he fell short at the finish line.But he never gave up. He tried so hard despite every failure in life, thinking that one day he would succeed. Do you know where he is now? Today, my friend is delivering the valedictory speech to 161 future leaders from 68 different countries, in front of an elite audience of academics from around the world.

Yes, my friend is me. Have you ever heard the word ‘Kintsugi’ – to join with gold? I was a broken cup, torn into pieces when I came to Japan. Japan, IUJ, and these amazing professors mended the pieces with gold, making them precious. All of you, my dear IUJers, filled the cup with friendship, memories, and love. Despite all those times I lost or failed, today I have finally won. My long-lasting wish has finally become a reality, and I was so happy because all those sleepless nights, efforts, and sacrifices finally paid off. The moment it was announced I was so happy and couldn’t express that feeling. Imagine the feeling of losing so many times in life and finally winning. But that happiness only lasted for maybe 20 seconds. I was shocked. Is that it? Why did that feeling fade?

It was then I realized that while I had been waiting my whole life for this moment, what truly mattered were the memories I made with all of you, my friends. What remains are the memories I made at every CNP night, the events at IMC, the cheers and roasts at house competitions, sleepless dance practices for Cultifiesta, time spent in lively group chats, random bear attack alerts, earthquake alerts, walks around campus during mesmerizing sunsets, kimono experiences in spring, endless falls while snowboarding, tiring times organizing conferences and events, various country gatherings and parties, and the solid times we spent talking freely. These moments made my life at IUJ complete. I am grateful that I didn’t sacrifice them to become who I am today and these memories will last forever.

The motivation of my story is to never give up. Always have faith that one day you will achieve your dreams. The journey may be tough, but keep believing. But the most important thing is along the way, remember to enjoy life, build healthy relationships, spread love, and give yourself a break. Because success builds ego, but failure builds character.

Dear class of 2024, we finally made it. Congratulations! I have heard some friends and senpais abbreviate IUJ as “I and You in Jungle” or “I and U in Jail.” But I prefer to say it’s “I and U in a Journey” – a journey of becoming world leaders. It was tough, starting with Professor Lee’s Financial Accounting: midnight quizzes, complex problems, and an unimaginable exam. Then came Professor Li’s Data Analytics: statistics, probability distributions, but thank you for the cheat sheets. After that, Professor Comai’s marketing experience: Struggling with Miro, STP, sleepless presentation preparations. Professor Funabashi’s Strategic Management was a comparative relief. In the second semester, we faced Professor Zhang’s International Management and X-Culture, and Professor Hirose’s Everest simulation and weekly cases. For a month, we had Professor Yokose’s CSR, where I still wonder what CSR is. In the last semester, it was Professor Li with Managerial Accounting and Professor Chuang’s Corporate Finance. We thought the second year would be easier with electives, but it wasn’t. I put more effort into Professor Cooray’s modeling class than my thesis. For Professor Ben, I read every report word-for-word more than three times. On top of that, we woke up at least 4 days a week for Japanese classes. But despite the challenging times, it was worth every second. Thank you, esteemed professors, for everything.

I’d like to thank my two supervisors first, Professor Funabashi and Professor Cooray, for their time, effort, and guidance throughout my thesis and life at IUJ. Professor Funabashi was my official mentor and Professor Cooray was my unofficial mentor. Professor Funabashi, Thank you for being so kind and generous. You have always taught us to summarize and connect dots, helping me see life holistically by connecting the dots of life. Professor Cooray, without you I know nothing about proper research. Thank you, sir, and dear madam, for always being kind to me and for being the foundation for all Sri Lankans here. Professor Li, thank you for teaching us to measure the probabilities of life and apply the MECE principle. Professor Hyunko Lee, thank you for teaching us the importance of balance in life, not just in balance sheets and income statements. Professor Comai, you’ve shown us that in both marketing and life, understanding our audience and conveying our message effectively can lead to meaningful connections and impactful outcomes. Professor Zhang, thank you for being an amazing listener and mentor, preparing us to navigate the global landscape with an open mind and a respectful approach. Professor Hirose, you’ve taught us that recognizing and valuing the diverse traits and behaviors of those around us is key to building cohesive and productive teams practically through Everest simulation. Professor Yokose, you’ve reminded us that our actions should contribute positively to society and reflect our commitment to making the world a better place. Professor Chuang, Thank you for teaching us the importance of investing in education, not just money. Professor Ben, thank you for teaching us the importance of every single detail and how to sell, not just tell. To the Japanese sensei, thank you for patiently teaching Japanese from zero until now. Takeuchi sensei, Kurashina sensei, Ishibashi sensei, and Nagai sensei. Many of us started with zero knowledge in Japanese. Thank you for patiently teaching us despite how bad we were in Japanese.

Doing an MBA in Japan was a dream for me since childhood. I am forever grateful to the Japanese government and MEXT for providing me a full scholarship to pursue my MBA. To the admin staff of IUJ, each and every staff member from OAA, OSS, OGA, Career Support, MLIC, PR, Accounting, and the maintenance team, thank you so much. A special thanks to Haruka Hobbs-san, without whom I wouldn’t even be at IUJ. Thank you, Haruka-san, for everything and sorry for troubling you so many times even before being admitted to IUJ. Also to Gretchen san, Minako sand and Nagumo san. Thank you for all the support throughout my IUJ life. A very special thanks to our mom in the library, Kojima-san, and Akiko-san and Matsuda-san for everything. I was fortunate to serve as a TA for 3 semesters, Library service assistant, research assistant, as a facilitator, tutor and as an IM council member. Thank you to all the professors, staff and you all my dear IUJers, for the opportunity.

I would also like to thank my Sri Lankan community here at IUJ; they have been my strength. To all my batchmates, thank you for the wonderful memories and long-lasting relationships. Each and every one of you is so special in my life. To Surbhi, for being there with me in my ups and downs. And to all the kohais, thank you for being such an amazing batch. To the GSO, IM & IR council, House captains and sports coordinators, thank you for making our life at IUJ memorable.

I also want to thank all my relatives and friends back in Sri Lanka for supporting me and my family during the past few years despite all the financial difficulties. A special thanks to Prof. Tatsuru and Katsuko aunty for always being there for my family. Also, a very special thanks to my brother and sister in Japan, Takuma-san and Akari-san. Thank you for everything. Cheers to METAP and our future. To my Alma Mater, Trinity College Kandy, for molding me into who I am today.

Last but not least, to the hero of my life, my dad, and the heart of my life, my mom. I am nothing without them. Mom, thank you so much for your efforts and for keeping the family together through all the difficulties. Also today is very special for you as it’s your birthday. This is the best gift that I can give you and happy birthday. Dad, you are my everything. This is for you. When I was a kid, I promised to shout out loud to the world about what a great leader you are. This is that time, where great leaders of the world have gathered. Dear appachchi, thank you for your service to our country, to all the families you supported, to all the students you taught, to all those forests you grew under your leadership – thank you! You were, is and will be my hero.

Lastly, I wish all of you the best in life! Each of you is unique and has an amazing set of skills and abilities. Use them, have faith, and work hard. You might fail. It’s okay, because success creates ego but failures create character.

Click here to watch the speech