Learn Sustainability/ Energy Management and Renewable Energy from a Masters Degree holder with over 7+ years of professional experience

Find out more about Akila

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  Living in the sunny isle of Sri Lanka, I’ve always enjoyed our beautiful beaches and the hill country since I was a child. As I grew older, I began to see the environmental damage caused by humans and I started to question what we could be doing differently to change this. Although I graduated as an Electrical Engineer, I spent my training and internship periods in renewable energy and sustainability projects and through this, I believe this is where our future is and should be headed towards.
  Whilst I love to learn and continuously challenge myself with new knowledge and technology, I also thoroughly enjoy imparting this to my peers and other students. Teaching and tutoring have helped me cultivate lifelong learning, whereby I continue to learn and explore new ideas and topics, and also inspire others by imparting my knowledge and experience.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  Both my undergraduate and postgraduate studies have been in technological streams: engineering, sustainability and renewable energy. I particularly enjoy how these fields continue to change and evolve in the global landscape, which also challenges me to learn new things. Combining my academic knowledge, my professional experience has required me to manage several large projects across the organization’s global footprint which is why I completed PMP certification. This helps shape my career in a better way and that is why I enjoy tutoring in these subjects.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  Throughout my academic career; be it school or university, I have been fortunate to have several teachers that have inspired me. In general, I have a lot of respect for teachers, for their continuous sacrifice to impart and inspire others on a journey in knowledge. I continue to keep in touch with those teachers that have inspired and pushed me to become the best version of myself.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  What I remember about the teachers that inspired me during my studies is that they adapted teaching styles to the student, which thereby allowed those students, including myself, grasp the knowledge better. I believe that good tutors/ teachers should be able to read the students well, have patience and be able to change their teaching style to ensure better and clearer communication to the students. Maybe you can call it adaptability; how you teach the same theory to two students may be completely different. This helps students with different needs and abilities to learn more effectively.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  Sustainability is something I was so passionate about when studying, I never thought I would be able to practice this after leaving University. But fortunately, I got an opportunity to join a company who leads sustainability in Sri Lanka, and I’m happy to say that I still work there.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or are still facing in your subject?

  I don’t enjoy memorizing notes and information and I’m not very good at it. This can be particularly challenging for subjects that require memorizing such as history. I know that there’s a significant proportion of people who have similar challenges. One method that worked well for me is making notes during lectures or even self-study. This continues to help me greatly in remembering important information.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  While I enjoy teaching engineering and sustainability topics because I’m passionate about the two fields and the global potential for change associated with them, one non-academic activity I’m passionate about is chess. Chess has helped me cultivate and improve my skills in logical thinking, analysis and discipline, as well as helped sharpen my intuition.
  Although I don’t see myself devoting my entire time to teaching/ tutoring, I will continue doing so for the foreseeable future as the concept of lifelong learning and imparting knowledge to others is something I enjoy and value greatly.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions :-P)?

  I’ve been teaching at different levels since 2009 while I was completing my undergraduate studies. I possess postgraduate qualifications from KTH – Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden and UPC, Barcelona and I’m currently a Chartered Engineer with experience in the fields of engineering, sustainability, renewable energy and project management. These, together with over seven years of experience in the private sector in Sri Lanka at an organization with a global footprint, allows me to bring a different perspective to my teaching methods. I am able to harness my theoretical knowledge, practical experience and thirst for new and innovative technology and knowledge to help students understand concepts with a broader perspective through my teaching.