On December 13, 2020, the Arts Co-operative Education Program lost one of its brightest shining alumni stars, Anushka Samarawickrama, who died suddenly from a pulmonary embolism. The UBC Arts Co-op community sends its deepest condolences to Anushka’s friends, family and colleagues.
Anushka joined the Arts Co-op Program in the Fall of 2009, adding work terms with Federal Government in Vancouver and Ottawa to her Sociology degree. The Arts Co-op staff remember Anushka for her genuine warmth, consistently positive energy, and radiant smiles: she radiated joy and it was a gift to spend time with her. After graduation in 2013 Anushka moved to Ottawa for a permanent job with the Federal Government. She was always ready to join co-op students and alumni for dinner when Program staff visited Ottawa, and keen to support the Program by encouraging her colleagues to hire its students.
One of her close friends in Ottawa, Melany Rodgers, says Ottawa now feels less like home without Anushaka. “I first met Anushka at a UBC Arts Co-op Mentorship Kick-Off Event in 2010 – I was Mentorship Co-Chair with ACSA that year and Anushka had just started in the program. I was immediately struck by how friendly and enthusiastic she was, with a wonderful smile and warm personality. When we both moved to Ottawa in 2012/2013, we became close friends as we adjusted to a new city (and the cold). We navigated the complicated world of getting permanent government positions together (aided by our co-op experiences). She loved to find new adventures for us to explore together.”
Another Alex Chen, remembers his first co-op term in Ottawa: “I met Anushka when we both moved to Ottawa in 2013 for co-op placements with the Government of Canada. We arrived in the dead of January and quickly bonded over our (mostly futile) attempts at enjoying the cold weather and winter sports. Anushka excelled in her work and was hired on immediately after graduation. While working full-time, she then completed a Master’s degree in Information Studies – and took half her classes in French, her third language! In recent years, she moved into progressively senior roles, including as a Team Leader at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Anushka was full of encouragement and had a real zest for travel, cooking, and life; to have her taken away so young feels especially unjust. We will miss her dearly.”
To learn more about her life, and to donate in her memory, visit https://memorial.support.ubc.ca/anushka-samarawickrama/
