Umesha Abeygunasekara

Umesha Abeygunasekara has built the kind of resume most people spend decades chasing, and she's doing it out of Bandarawela in the Uva Province, where she grew up in the nearby town of Ella. Full name Ahangama Vithanage Don Umesha Hansamali Abeygunasekara, she is a lawyer, entrepreneur, and now a pageant contestant, three roles that might seem unrelated until you see how she connects them.

She holds an LLB from Buckinghamshire New University in the UK, completed through its Sri Lankan affiliate IDM Nations Campus, and is currently awaiting her degree before pursuing a Master of Laws. Alongside that, she's working toward a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, choosing to keep building her academic foundation even while running a business.

That business is Paradise (Pvt) Ltd, a corporate entity she owns in the travel and hospitality sector. Through it, she operates Serandib Lanka Tours, a destination management agency focused on delivering premium, reliable tourism services to travelers from around the world. It's demanding work that requires the same discipline her legal studies do, and she's found that the two feed each other more than people expect.

Pageantry is the newest addition to that list. Umesha is currently training in professional modeling at Model with Ruki Academy and Agency, treating it as seriously as she treats her law studies and her company. Her advocacy grew directly out of her professional life: she champions sustainable tourism as a way to create opportunities not just for hotels and tour operators, but for local communities and small businesses across Sri Lanka. She believes that showcasing the country's authentic hospitality responsibly can drive economic growth while empowering the people who make that hospitality possible.

Whatever she's taking on next, Umesha carries a simple philosophy with her. "Stay positive even when faced with the most negative situations," she says, and it's a fitting motto for someone who has never shied away from doing several difficult things at once.