Your full name:

Jehan Mendis 

Where did you grow up? 

Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

Education:

S. Thomas’ Preparatory School, Colombo 3, until I was 16; then a short stint at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, and next Colombo International School for my A-Levels. Later, I studied Economics at the University of Warwick.  

Your previous role and place of work:

I have worked in a number of schools in Cambridge over the last eight years, including Parkside Community College, Abbey College Cambridge, and Hills Road Sixth Form College. I trained as a Maths Teacher in 2018, but I started my career teaching Economics at the Colombo International School in 2009. Previously, I had seven years in industry, including five years in Brand Management at Nestlé. I also ran the weekly Colombo Pub Quiz at the Barefoot Garden Café in Colombo for thirteen years, and spent a year as a freelance writer and editor.  

What are you most looking forward to about your new role and working at King’s Ely? 

I am looking forward to championing Economics as a subject choice across King’s Ely, and communicating how vibrant and relevant Economics is, especially in uncertain times. Economics helps us make sense of the choices we face about how we live and work. It also connects naturally with Philosophy, Politics, Maths, History, Business, Finance, and Sociology. By studying Economics, students gain a powerful way of understanding society, politics, and global change, as well as the skills to make thoughtful decisions in their own lives. I am excited to share that sense of relevance and possibility with our students and community. 

What did you want to be when you were growing up? 

I think it was an astronaut at first, then an engineer, then an economist. Once I realised the Sri Lankan Space Programme was not going to get off the ground any time soon, I think what I really wanted to be was a writer… but it just did not seem like a career option available to me at the time. 

Hobbies/interests outside of school:

I like cooking, but also, for over ten years now, I have been working on a time-travel novel set in Sri Lanka. I host pub quizzes, including locally for the Ely Arts Festival, Ely Refugee Resettlement Campaign, and I have one for the Women's Institute coming up. I like interviewing authors, usually at festivals. I like acting, and managed to land a small speaking role in Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children. However, you may not recognise me in it because, tragically, on the day of the shoot, the director asked me to cover my face. I was playing a surgeon, you see. I was devastated! 

Any pets? 

We are currently looking to adopt two kittens from the same litter. 

What is your favourite meal/food? 

I am going to have to say homecooked Sri Lankan rice and curry, because I get to have it so rarely these days, and I miss it. Technically, this should be “curries” because it is usually served with several individual dishes, of which red rice with a gotukola salad, an ambarella curry, a black pork curry, along with a coconut sambol, some dhal (standard), and papadum would probably be my ideal combination. If I go out to eat, then Thai is probably my favourite.   

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? 

The ability to instantly travel to any point in space-time, at will.   

Who is your hero? 

Hmmm, that is a tough one because heroes can too often fall from grace. I would probably go with Jon Stewart, the US comedian who hosts 'The Daily Show'. I just think he is a good guy, trying to do the right thing in a difficult environment. For similar reasons I would pick the Economists Jeffrey Sachs, Ha Joon Chan, and Kate Raworth - although I do not really know enough about them to call them heroes.  

What is your proudest accomplishment? 

Another tough one. I could say being awarded the gold medal for Best All Round Student in my graduating class in school... but that was thirty years ago! I could say getting my name on a Booker Prize winning novel... but it is only in the acknowledgements section. I could say winning 125,000 on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'... but this was in Sri Lankan rupees. 

So, I think I would have to say it is helping students succeed in Economics over the years. I feel proud when I see what students have gone on to achieve in Economics and closely related fields. And: my daughter, who is 5, and my partner, and the family life that we have built together.  

What was the last book you read? 

'Noontide Toll' by Romesh Gunesekera. 

What song are you most likely to sing at a karaoke? 

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. (Do not ever let them tell you that you are tone deaf). 

What is your favourite film? 

'The Big Lebowski'. 

Do you have any phobias or fears? 

I have a fear of heights, but I am usually alright on the way up. 

If you could share a meal with any four individuals, living or dead, who would they be? 

Nelson Mandela, Jesus of Nazareth, my Dad, and Jon Stewart.  

Name three things that you would want with you if you were stranded on a desert island for a week: 

Fishing tackle, a box of matches, and spices.