Wellington School of Cricket's and Whitireia Community Polytechnic's new international student Hareen De Silva knew straightaway that he was going to like Wellington as soon as he arrived in mid-July to start a three-year Business degree at Whitireia Community Polytechnic and to continue his cricket career.

Hareen De Silva

"WSC Staff welcomed me and made the start of my stay really easy and I've already made several new Kiwi friends." he says. Hareen loves all sports and is pleased he's come to the right country for that. Cricket is Hareen's first love and he is grateful that he can continue his promising cricket career as a top order left hand batsman and at the same time continue his studies - which he couldn't manage to combine back home.

"I love playing cricket and hope to go far, but I also want to secure my future and coming here to New Zealand, a popular cricket country with a good reputation for education and lifestyle, appealed as a perfect fit for me.

For example, I played in one national Under 23 tournament back home, but I couldn't play in it the next year because it clashed with my schooling and I had priorities, to do my A level studies instead. Here I can do both.

Hareen finished school at St Joseph's College in the middle of 2009 having worked hard for his A levels (New Zealand NCEA Scholarship equivalent) majoring in Commerce, and enjoyed his recent orientation week at Whitireia Community Polytechnic where he is looking forward to resuming his academic career.
Hareen first heard about the opportunity to come to New Zealand to practice and play cricket and study through the WSC's Sri Lankan agent NZ Cricket and Education (Pvt) Ltd (Director - Mr. Susilough de S. Wijeyeratne - 0777705526 an Old Boy of his college) whom he knew very well.

"They knew that I wanted to continue with both at the same time and approached me about going to New Zealand and join the WSC Graduation Programme as an international student". "The application and planning process was very easy because Mr. Wijeyeratne was really forthcoming in supporting me, answering my questions and providing me with every single detail, the procedures to work through and just as importantly what to expect when I arrived.

This is my first to New Zealand, although I have visited Australia (Sydney and Melbourne in 2008), but I have never lived anywhere but home, which is Ragama just outside Colombo. I arrived in Wellington and Glenn and Ivan picked me up.

They were amazing and helped me settle down very quickly. They and their families supported me a lot and made me feel at home and helped me find my way around". "I'd love to become a Kiwi and get my PR (Permanent Residency) - that's definitely a goal of mine and I feel really comfortable that I've come here and joined the Wellington School of Cricket and Whitireia Community Polytechnic where I can improve my cricket and gain my qualifications."