Sri Lankan content creator, model, and entrepreneur Shenelle Rodrigo has carved out a path that’s as dynamic and inspiring as the stories she shares with the world. From her early days of driving a Red Bull car at 19 years old to gracing the cover of Vogue India and walking the ramp at Colombo Fashion Week (CFW), Shenelle’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.
In this interview, Shenelle opens up about her adventurous journey, her passion for showcasing Sri Lanka’s stories, and the full-circle moment that brought her global recognition.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Shenelle Rodrigo. I am a content creator and model by profession and I’ve been focusing on sharing the stories of Sri Lanka with the world.
I was born and raised in Sri Lanka and tried my hand at a number of jobs from the age of 16, which has formed my unique skill set and perspectives on life.
From driving a Red Bull car at the age of 19 to doing customer service at a leading telecommunication service provider, walking the ramp at CFW, and being on the cover of Vogue India, I’ve had an extremely adventurous and memorable journey thus far.
Today my husband and business partner Shehaan and I run a boutique travel content creation agency which focuses on sharing the stories of Sri Lanka with the world through our social media platforms @sheneller.
What’s the story behind your rise as a global advocate for education and tourism?
It happened by chance, as an evolution of the work we’ve been doing in Sri Lanka over the past six years. Having travelled extensively around the island, we’ve developed a deep passion for our country and what it has to offer, which has naturally encouraged us to advocate for sustainable and regenerative travel to Sri Lanka.
Additionally, in recent years, as we’ve dived deeper into the issues the country is currently facing and trying to contribute to solving them, one critical challenge we’ve identified was the lack of optimism in Sri Lanka’s higher education sector and the limited prospects of succeeding as a young individual.
As a student of Edith Cowan University (ECU) Sri Lanka who completed the entire programme while in Sri Lanka and was able to build a lucrative career locally without having to leave the country, I feel I am in a great place to share my journey and encourage others to take a more positive approach to their higher education journey in the country.
How did your journey with ECU shape your path to this award?
It played a massive role in my journey as I was able to access an international higher education programme in Sri Lanka at a formative age, where I learnt to hone my skills whilst piquing my interest in exploring my own country. I never quite excelled academically in high school or at university, so the thought of winning an award was never one that had occurred to me.
How did the disappointment of not studying abroad fuel your drive to make a difference in Sri Lanka?
Having studied at an international school where 80% of the students would go on to continue their higher education abroad, it was quite disappointing at the time to not be able to study abroad when all my friends were leaving.
But this was a pivotal point in my journey as I began to integrate with different walks of life in Sri Lanka, whilst exploring various odd jobs and beginning my higher education journey locally.
Initially, I never set out to make a difference in Sri Lanka. It was more of a personal goal to make something of myself despite not being able to leave the country like all my childhood friends at the time.
Gradually, in hindsight, as I began to recognise the impact of our work, I came to appreciate the cards that had been dealt to me and the way it enabled me to do what I am doing today.
What does winning the ECU Alumni Award mean to you on both personal and professional levels?
Personally, it was a wholesome moment as I was the kind of student who no one expected to do anything noteworthy in school. Although I was good at sports and extra-curricular activities, I was never considered for any awards or recognition because of my poor academic performance.
As such, this really was a win for little Shenelle who always stayed at the back of the class and felt like she was never good enough to walk up on stage to win an award.
I also hope this encourages all the other kids who feel the same way currently to not be so troubled by it and continue their journey in life without expecting anything in return. Just because you did not shine academically does not mean you have nothing to offer the world. Instead, hone good values, build skills you enjoy, and follow what ignites passion in your heart and when the time is right your turn to shine will come.
At a professional level, it means a lot to me and my husband Shehaan as we left fairly stable and respected professions to start content creation at a time when no one took it seriously. Even today, most adults don’t consider it a worthy profession and there is a certain stigma on those who chose to be content creators or social media personalities.
The fact that I was chosen to win this award from a reputed international education establishment from among 200,000 graduates from around the world for the work I’ve done in content creation really does break a number of glass ceilings for our industry and establish the impact our work has on society.
How do you see the future of Sri Lankan students with institutions like ECU Sri Lanka?
I think there’s an extremely bright future for Sri Lankan students who have the option to study at reputed universities such as ECU here and start their careers much earlier than those who go abroad and return four or five years later.
Sri Lanka has a lot of potential for growth in so many different fields and our youth are at a pivotal point in time when they can reap the benefits of it thanks to globalisation and the interconnectedness of the global marketplace.
When I left high school you still needed to leave Sri Lanka to earn a high salary in USD. However, today with remote work that is not the case. Provided you have the right qualifications and are skilled, you can work for NASA or Google from the comfort of your home in the tropics.
What’s your advice for aspiring creators who want to make a global impact?
It’s important to take the time to understand what you are most passionate about and will continue to enjoy creating content for, even if you would not be paid for it. Thereafter, it is important to see how you can do the work in a manner that not only benefits you but is also of service to others and the community at large.
In my experience, whilst fame and fortune is great in the moment, it is the fulfilment of knowing your work is serving others that continues to keep us motivated and driven to keep moving forward.
What’s next for you in continuing to elevate Sri Lanka on the world map?
There are a number of initiatives we’ve begun which primarily look at scaling the reach and impact we’ve been fortunate to have in such a short period of time. These include sharing the stories of Sri Lanka with the world, encouraging our youth to be the change-makers of tomorrow, and a number of other issues we are deeply passionate about. My journey will continue to work on what I am most passionate about.
What message do you have for students who dream big but face local limitations?
The biggest setbacks most often provide the greatest comeback stories. Had I been a film student out of Los Angeles, running a successful YouTube channel, I would have been underperforming compared to my peers. But because I was forced to stay in Sri lanka and forge my own path, I was able to do something that was far greater than anyone had expected.
Similarly, there is no reason why you cannot achieve your dreams because of local limitations. Pull yourself away from your current environment and look for more positive and conducive environments even locally, which will help you change your mindset and propel you forward.
What advice would you give to those navigating setbacks in their academic or career paths?
Life is a journey and should not be measured by the yardsticks of others. Both Shehaan and I had a number of setbacks in our academic careers, but we always looked for the positives, whether it was meeting new and interesting people from having to sit for the same class or enjoying more time building relationships with certain lecturers who later influenced some of our best work.
Reframing the ‘setback’ to just a part of the journey helps keep you driven in forging your way forward.
In the famous words of Steve Jobs, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.”