I am a first generation immigrant woman who was born in South Africa a year after the government dismantled the Apartheid system to a Sri-Lankan Father and an English Mother. The remainder of my upbringing was split between the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States. My experiences instilled how important it was to earn people’s trust, but I learned to believe that to fit in, I should not expect people to reciprocate the work needed to gain my trust. Instead, I should grant someone my trust until they prove me otherwise.

My upbringing’s nomadic nature exposed me to an assortment of people with different experiences and backgrounds, which led to a passion to work with underserved and underrepresented communities.

Formal Bio

Ayomi Rajapakse, MPA, is a program associate for the Center for Trust and Transformation (CTT). She is also co-leading a research project to understand how Whiteness informs DEI values and impacts the efficacy of DEI strategies within the Public Administration field.

Before CTT, Ayomi completed her Masters of Public Policy and Administration (MPA), specializing in Social Policy, at the University of Washington. As part of her, MPA Ayomi worked on a team of graduate consultants who provided expertise to a non-profit in Central America on building equitable and culturally appreciative programs and services that center the needs and goals of stakeholders. Before completing her master’s degree, Ayomi gained two undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 2019. During this time, she worked as a Research Assistant for the Colorado Attorney General’s Office and at the University of Colorado Boulder, supporting projects related to equitable education, democratization, and reducing domestic violence. [LinkedIn]