By Marlon Dale Ferreira
The Royal College Old Boys Association of North America is set to host its 36th Annual Dinner Dance in celebration of the 190th anniversary of Royal College, Colombo, bringing together alumni, families, well-wishers and supporters for a landmark evening of fellowship, tradition and future-focused purpose.
The event, themed around Royal’s proud legacy and its bold embrace of the future, will be held on September 19, 2026, at the Hilton Hotel in Glendale, California. Organisers are expecting a full house of nearly 400 guests, with entertainment by Band Heat, special guests, prizes and AI-themed surprises adding colour to the evening.
A Celebration With A Future-Focused Mission
This year’s dinner dance goes beyond celebration. It will also serve as a fundraiser to support the advancement of Artificial Intelligence initiatives at Royal College and beyond, with the ambition of taking Royal’s innovation drive to the national level in Sri Lanka.
The initiative seeks to support students in science, engineering, digital health and artificial intelligence as they develop creative inventions, models, prototypes and research-based solutions. Royal College has proposed a program (SPARC) expected to host leading schools, allowing students to present innovations and compete in a wider platform that encourages invention, collaboration and future-ready thinking.
For RCOBANA, the effort is not merely about hosting a gala or gathering old boys for an annual social occasion. It is about using the strength, expertise and goodwill of the Royalist community overseas to make a meaningful contribution to Sri Lanka’s next generation.
From Royal College To National Innovation
The fundraising effort reflects RCOBANA’s commitment to helping Royal College remain at the forefront of education, technology and leadership.
As Artificial Intelligence rapidly reshapes medicine, engineering, governance, business and education, the association is working to ensure that students are exposed early to the tools, ideas and opportunities that will define the future and ride the crest of what is considered the 4th industrial revolution as predicted by the experts.
The programme is also expected to support students preparing for global conferences, innovation competitions and collaborative platforms where Sri Lankan talent can be showcased internationally.
While Royal College is expected to serve as the pilot platform, the wider vision is not limited to Royal alone. The ambition is to explore how similar opportunities could eventually benefit students from other leading schools such as Ananda College, S. Thomas’ College, Thurstan College and others, helping create a broader culture of innovation across Sri Lanka.
Academic and Industrial Leadership Behind The AI Vision
A major strength of the initiative is the academic and professional leadership supporting it.
At the centre of the Sri Lankan component is Vidyajothi Dr. Vajira Dissanayake, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, a fellow Royalist and a leading figure in digital health, medical innovation and artificial intelligence education.
Dr. Dissanayake’s work has helped strengthen the connection between medicine, technology and public health systems. For RCOBANA, his involvement gives the project strong credibility on the ground in Sri Lanka.
The association is not attempting to impose an overseas idea from a distance. Instead, it is supporting the lead taken by experts already working within Sri Lanka’s academic and medical institutions.
At the centre of the US component is the world renowned Sri Lankan-American physicist, computer scientist, and AI data scientist Dr. Yasantha Rajakarunanayake.
Dr. Rajakarunanayake is widely recognised for his decades-long career across physics, internet technology, data science, artificial intelligence and advanced medical technology. He has worked as a senior technologist and scientist, produced numerous technical publications and contributed to innovation through several patent applications.
His work has included artificial intelligence algorithm design, human presence and gesture detection using mmWave radar systems, and AI-driven applications in MedTech and medical imaging.
He is also known internationally for his Princeton connection with future Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who publicly referred to him as the “smartest guy at Princeton” after recalling how Rajakarunanayake solved a difficult mathematical problem that Bezos and his roommate had struggled with.
With Dr. Vajira Dissanayake leading the Sri Lankan academic and medical component, and professionals such as Dr. Yasantha Rajakarunanayake contributing international scientific and technological expertise, the initiative gains both local grounding and global perspective.
Together, their involvement reflects the wider RCOBANA vision: to give Royal College students early exposure to world-class thinking in artificial intelligence, digital health, research and innovation, while helping build a future generation capable of contributing to Sri Lanka’s technological advancement.
Supporting Digital Health And AI Education
A major focus of this initiative is the proposed Royal College – University of Colombo Digital Health and AI Pre-University and Medical Scholars Programme.
This three-month placement programme will be hosted at the Centre for Health Systems Policy and Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo.
The programme is designed for students selected to enter medical education from Royal College, Colombo, giving them early exposure to digital health, artificial intelligence, health systems innovation and research before they formally begin medical school.
This early exposure is expected to help students understand how modern medicine is rapidly changing through data science, machine learning, precision medicine and technology-driven health systems.
Building The Next Generation Of Medical Innovators
The initiative is expected to help create a new generation of digitally fluent, innovation-oriented medical professionals.
It also aligns with a proposed technical collaboration with WHO SEARO on AI leadership and capacity development to support precision medicine, primary health care and universal health coverage.
The Pilot programme for this was proposed by Vidyajothi Dr. Vajira Dissanayake, whose leadership at the Colombo Medical Faculty is seen as central to developing a practical, Sri Lanka-based pathway for students to engage with digital health and artificial intelligence.
The goal is to help young Sri Lankans gain early access to high-level technological training, allowing them to think beyond traditional classroom learning and prepare for the future of medicine, engineering and scientific innovation.
RCOBANA’s Professional Strength
The current RCOBANA administration brings together professionals with strong academic, medical, scientific and engineering backgrounds.
Its leadership includes the Vice President Dr Chandana Jayasundara who is a medical doctor, the Treasurer Dr. Ranil Dhammapala the senior meteorologist at AQMD, Secretary Tikiri Wijesundara with an engineering background working in the medical technology sector and President Dr. Richard Shobana Gunasekera, a Professor of Science, Technology & Health, including a Board of Directors and Past Presidents of RCOBANA.
This combination of professional experience gives the organisation a unique ability to understand the importance of artificial intelligence, digital health, scientific education and technical capacity-building.
For RCOBANA, the objective is not simply to celebrate Royal College’s past, but to help build a future where Sri Lankan students can compete confidently in global innovation spaces.
A Practical Start To An Ambitious Dream
The vision behind the project is ambitious.
It seeks to support young Sri Lankans in becoming part of the next industrial and technological revolution, with Royal College serving as the starting point for a wider national effort.
At the same time, organisers recognise that meaningful change takes time and must be built carefully.
The immediate goal is to make a practical impact through pilot initiatives, expert guidance, student exposure, academic collaboration and philanthropic support.
If successful, this approach could become a model for expanding AI and digital health education to other schools and institutions across Sri Lanka.
Alumni Power Behind A National Vision
The programme will be funded through philanthropic support from the alumni of Royal College in North America.
Through RCOBANA, old boys living overseas are helping transform nostalgia into meaningful national impact, supporting not only their alma mater but also Sri Lanka’s broader educational and technological future.
The 36th Annual Dinner Dance therefore represents more than an anniversary gathering. It is a statement of intent.
Royal College’s 190-year legacy is being celebrated not only by remembering the past, but by investing in a future where Sri Lankan students can lead in artificial intelligence, digital health, science and innovation.
A Night Of Fellowship, Legacy And Innovation
With Royalists, families and supporters gathering in Glendale, the evening is expected to blend tradition, entertainment and purpose.
The event will honour Royal College’s historic journey while helping fund the next stage of its innovation mission.
Guests will enjoy music, fellowship, prizes and AI-themed surprises, but the deeper purpose of the night will remain clear: to support a new generation of students who can use technology to serve Sri Lanka and compete globally.
As Royal College marks 190 years of excellence, RCOBANA’s message is clear: the Royal spirit is not only rooted in history, it is ready to take flight into the age of Artificial Intelligence.
