Another Success Story of IIT: Sheran Corera, NBQSA 2011 gold medallist

IIT has always been the campus of choice for many employers seeking qualified graduates and has attracted some of the most talented and ambitious candidates from many regions in the country.

These are then mutually matched, allowing students to work together with its corporate partners to develop programs structured with an up-to-date, international perspective in mind.

This is what has made it possible for Sheran Corera, a talented young Software Engineering graduate from IIT, to achieve the success he received.

Corera followed the full time four year degree program at IIT and graduated at the recently concluded 17th IIT convocation ceremony where he was presented with the special award given for best all round performance by the University of Westminster for his dynamic commitment, academic performance and other extra-curricular activities.

This included playing basketball for the first five of the IIT basketball team, both organising and participating in Stage Craft, an annual IIT event showcasing student talents in music dance and drama, for playing a major role in the IIT Rotaract Club and chairing the project that went on to win the best international understanding project in the country as well as for his work as president of the IIT Students Union and playing a key role in organising a variety of events and student activities.

Corera was also recognised and honoured for winning first prize in the tertiary category at the 2011 National Best Quality Software Awards, one of the most prestigious IT competitions in Sri Lanka competing with some of the best public and private universities in the country and for the special award he received for developing the best product using Microsoft and related technologies at this competition.  

It is also significant to note that his research was presented at the CHI Sparks 2011 conference held in the Netherlands organised by the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) the largest computing body in the world, in which he was the only Sri Lankan to participate and he was also chosen to represent Sri Lanka at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards 2011 held in Thailand in which he was able to obtain a merit competing with over 15 countries.

During his four years at the Informatics Institute of Technology, Corera has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and a wide base of contacts that bode well for his future prospects. His period of learning during his degree enabled him not only to gain just academic knowledge but the required industry exposure and experience that helped him largely to achieve this feat.

He commended the degree structure at IIT which is unlike any other institution because it is both unique and extremely rewarding. “The placement year offered after two years of study helps us fuse academic knowledge with practical exposure. It also gives us a unique opportunity to take advantage of the vast corporate network IIT enjoys and gain access to a wealth of corporate professionals and employment opportunities,” mentions Corera.

At IIT, students are encouraged to think out of the box. Lecturers are dynamic individuals mostly from the corporate world and therefore provide students with a correct viewpoint on how to apply what is taught theoretically in real life and what to expect in the industry.

The interchange of knowledge, insight and experience is a highly charged one and students are given continuous guidance in every aspect of their studies.

Each student is also required to submit a final year project, enabling them to work with some of the best in the industry. Research methodology is specially taught at IIT and guidance given on how to incorporate relevant data and research into the project.

 “I am proud of the many achievements that I have received and I’m thankful to IIT for giving me the necessary experience, guidance, knowledge and confidence to get ahead in life. Students at IIT are not just taught academic work, but this fused with practical exposure giving us a big edge over others. The time spent at IIT as a student is not just about the degree, it’s an experience.” further stated Corera.



Continuing as a part time lecturer at IIT, Corera is also in the process of setting up his own software firm specialising in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and mobile development which will swing in to full action in the near future.