STUDENT SUCCESS
Student Innovator: Danindu Udalamaththa
Published March 2016
Graduate student Danindu Udalamaththa is among 13 NDSU students selected to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative University in Berkeley, California.
The initiative challenges college students to address social issues with practical, innovative solutions. Each participant develops a new, specific and measurable plan to address the societal need they have identified. Only about 1,000 students around the country are invited to the conference.
Program: Master’s, applied economics
Hometown: Galle, Sri Lanka
His project: A program that creates entrepreneurship opportunities for the homeless by teaching them workforce skills such as computer knowledge, plumbing and auto mechanic skills.
Effect on society: “I’m striving to eliminate homelessness in the Fargo area and change the presumptions about the homeless.”
Next steps: “I'm working on a system to decrease homelessness through a program that helps the homeless gain skills to be self-sustainable and attain better living conditions. I want to proceed to implement a basic project on a selected homeless shelter to measure and quantify the effects.”
