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CEYLON TEA QUEEN TO GET A
TRIP TO SRI LANKA AND FIND ACCOMODATION AT KANDAPOLA’S TEA FACTORY
HOTEL
By Walter Jayawardhana
Miss Janinda Gunawardene (18) a fresher student at the University of
Southern California (USC) was crowned the Tea Queen of California at
the Focus Sri Lanka cultural and trade show and won a trip to Sri Lanka
and five star hotel accommodation at the famous ‘Tea Factory’
in Kandapola.
“She would take a VIP tour of the tea plantations offered by the
Ceylon Tea Board and act as an ambassador for Ceylon Tea for the next
one year,” the Ceylon Tea Board announced
Natasha Jayawardena (17) a student of Cleveland High School ,Reseda,
California, Sobha Wedanarachchi (17) a student of Grenada High School,
Granada Hills ,California and Nilrukshi Jayawardena (20) a college student
at Pierce College Woodland Hills California became the first , second
and third runners up at the recently held contest in Los Angeles.
An accomplished Bharatha Natyam dancer, Janinda Gunawardene was honored
recently by a ride on the Ciy of Torrance float with the Mayor of the
city at the famous Rose Parade last January at Pasedena, California.
The city of Torrance honored her that way in recognition of her community
service in the city by serving as a volunteer at the city Senior Center
as a front desk receptionist and telephone communicator explaining the
services offered by the center.
She has also won high acclaim by delivering religious orations at the
Sarathchandra Buddhist Meditation Center in North Hollywood in her young
Sunday School days and she once represented Los Angeles County on the
History Day oratorical contest at the California political capital,
Sacremento.
A trombone player in the High School band Janinda declares she brews
the best Ceylon tea for her mother everyday and says drinking Ceylon
tea is the secret of her beauty over the other girls. She will be presenting
her Baratha Natyam arangethram very soon. She is the daughter of the
late Budhdhi Gunawardene and Sunethra Gunawardene of Torrance ,California.
The other runners up of the contest were , Ruwanthie Ratnayaka, Tanya
Ramanaden and Ruth Telahun. 16 contestants took part in the final show.
The Ceylon Tea Queen was crowned by Mrs. Priyanga Wickramasuriya at
the cultural show of the Focus Sri Lanka trade exhibition at the California
Mart in downtown Los Angeles recently attended by more than 600 guests,
both Sri Lankan expatriates and US trade delegates invited to take part
in the show.
Upul Travels, E-destinations travels, Luxury Perfumes, and Ceylon Tea
Board were the prize donors for the winners of the Tea Queen Contest.
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