Shannen Fernando Arshakulasuriya’s life has taken her around the world. She’s lived in Europe, Asia and Australia.

In 2025, she embarked on her longest journey yet: relocating to Canada. This meant restarting her career as a chef in a new country, where she soon realized that she was ready for something else.

Looking for a new field where she could redeploy her skills in hospitality and customer service, Ms. Arshakulasuriya landed on the airline industry and Seneca’s Flight Services certificate program.

She discusses her Seneca Polytechnic experience, what it was like to return to school in her 30s and how working as a chef was the perfect preparation for her new career.

Me and my husband, we are very adventurous. We like new things, so we were very excited for Canada. But when we came to Canada, especially with my career, it was not very rewarding for me – that was one of the challenges for me. I had to start from the very bottom and work my way up. The pay was not very good compared to Australia and neither was the family life — you have to work late nights. One day I was thinking to myself,
“OK, I need to go into something new. I want to start a new career.” I went online and found Seneca. That very next day I came to campus and Seneca sold itself to me. Honestly, more than me choosing Seneca, I think Seneca chose me.

Not in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever be a student again, because I was in my 30s and had spent so long away from studying! At first, it was very challenging because things move at a very fast pace. But I met so many amazing friends and they really helped me.

The professors either have worked in the industry or still do, which is amazing. No matter what questions we have, they know answers for them. That is the best thing. No matter what you ask, they give you an answer. The Flights Experiential Hub was fantastic too. Even though I’ve flown a few times, I didn’t know how everything works.

I’ve lived on four continents. I was born in Italy. I grew up with my grandparents in Sri Lanka — that's how I learned English. I got married and then in my 20s I lived in Australia, and now in my 30s, Canada. From all that, I think I became very open-minded.

Teamwork and customer service. As a flight attendant, you have to be prepared for unexpected situations — just like in the kitchen, where you don’t always know what will happen. Somebody might fall down or get a cut or a burn. Those experiences really prepared me. Please don’t get me wrong, I love being a chef, I love it, but it was not enough to support my family and live comfortably. With flight services, I feel like I’ll have more flexibility and be more relaxed and more glam — you get to dress up!

I always wanted to have my own restaurant or café and become a head chef; however, after coming to Seneca, now I want to work for a prestigious airline. I want to start from the very bottom, because that is how I learn, and I want to go the highest I can go. It can be in ground services, ground operations, logistics — it can be anywhere.

No matter what, see the good side in people. This is what my grandma used to say — she's a very religious person — if somebody hates you, just give them the benefit of the doubt and be humble, be understanding. This is something I’ve always carried with me.

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