Janathri Nanayakkara's Commencement address, "Itch for the Niche," was delivered at the Binghamton University Harpur College Ceremony at the Events Center on May 20.

Nanayakkara, who is a double major in economics and in political science with a concentration in global and international affairs, is an international student from Sri Lanka. Originally enrolled at the University of Maine, she transferred to Binghamton where she said the environment "eased me into a new culture."

While at Binghamton, she has been an orientation advisor and a student-scholar assistant in the Office of International Student and Scholar Affairs. She has held leadership positions, including vice president, for Phi Alpha Delta Professional Pre-law Fraternity, and has served as a choreographer for Children's Dance Theatre and as a peer mentor.

Nanayakkara has provided freelance translation services for Legal Interpreting Services in New York City, translating documents for the National Labor Relations Board. She spent one summer as an intern in the legal department for Law and Society Trust in Sri Lanka, and another as a General Assembly Intern with the United Nations. Following Commencement, she will begin her "dream job," starting her career in a position at the United Nations