Muna Suby has bagged Women Performer of the Year Award

Muna Suby has bagged Women Performer of the Year Award

• December 08, 2022

I am Muna Suby. I have completed my secondary education at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in Milagiriya, Sri Lanka. Marriage was inevitable, as I hail from an orthodox family.

Blessed with an understanding and supportive family who instilled self-belief in me, I began to follow my passion for beauty culture and hair dressing. Completion of the relevant course earned me a morale-boosting diploma from the Ceylon Academy of Beauty Culture and Hair Dressing. Being young and enthusiastic, I was ready and willing to learn, expand my knowledge, and contribute towards the betterment of society in general and women’s progress in particular.

Accordingly, I pursued several other courses in cookery, cake making, and culinary art, all tutored by the renowned culinary guru. In addition to gaining a diploma, I was elated to be adjudged 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the subsequent cooking and cake-making competitions, respectively. Next, I pursued a teacher’s diploma in culinary arts at the same institution and was placed first overall in the end-of-semester competition.

Motherhood beckoned, and although it gave both of us tremendous satisfaction, with the arrival of our elder daughter, priorities had to be rearranged. It effectively brought a temporary halt to my other activities, consolidating my efforts around parenthood. Not long after, we were blessed with my second child, our younger daughter. Then onward, it was the pride in watching them grow, then seeing them off to school, etc. Nevertheless, satisfaction in completing a very important aspect of every woman’s life was worth the change and the inevitable sacrifices. This changed once again when the girls reached an age of at least partial independence from constant parental supervision and weren’t in need of my constant attention any more. 

Encouraged by a supportive family, the realization dawned on me that I should evolve as a person, resulting in my accepting a teaching assignment. Whether this decision was influenced by maternal instinct, I do not know, but it certainly molded my future in no uncertain terms. However, every career woman knows about the sometimes-insurmountable challenges involved in riding the see-saw of work-life balance. 

I pursued a diploma in economics, and in 2012 I was appointed a teacher at Amal International School. With a passion for excellence and to be a better resource to my students, I decided to aim high, gaining the Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences in 2017 from the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL). During the course of pursuing my degree, I published several research papers, one of which covered gender differences and social behavior among teenage children. In addition, I also presented research findings on factors affecting the scholastic performances of adolescents at the Student Research Symposium 2017, an annual event organized by the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at OUSL.

While pursuing a Master’s degree in Clinical and Health Psychology at ANC in 2015, I was appointed sectional head of the middle school. This program effectively helped in comprehending the behavioral changes in children. In 2018, I enrolled for the Master’s in Education at Aldersgate College Philippines, which was completed at the beginning of the year (2020).

I took up my appointment as a vice principal of Amal International School in 2019. In addition to the administrative and academic responsibilities that this entailed, I also gave vent to my "entrepreneurship talent," establishing my very own salon by the name of Studio Muna. Setting up this salon to cater to the aspiring younger generation had been one of my dreams in the very early stages of my career. Being a patriotic citizen of Sri Lanka, I had always envisioned adding a "best of the East" touch to my products. Thus, continuing my affinity for aesthetics, I indulged in studying indigenous Ayurvedic treatments.

It resulted in my completing the Diploma in Ayurveda Beauty Culture, Ayurveda Skin Treatment, Ayurveda Hair Treatment, Medicinal Packs, Herbal Therapy, and becoming a certified Level 1 and Level 2 Herbal Product Manufacturer at the International Institute of Ceylon Ayurveda (IICA) campus.

Having been in both Western and Eastern beauty cultures for over 20 years, I have successfully established Studio Muna as a partnership, which has launched over 25 products ranging from hair to skin care. A cross-section includes body oils, hair oils, face creams, face packs, body creams, shampoos, conditioners, scrubs, teeth-whitening powders, etc.

My current efforts are dedicated towards a PhD in education at the University of Malaya. Adding value to societal well-being is well on the cards.

It is with humility that I accept the honor accompanying the award from the Women Icon organization. I would also like to express my gratitude to the World Women organization and the Women Icon Awards powered by Times Women for the recognition afforded to me by the "Women Performer of the Year Award."

To all aspiring young ladies, my advice is that perseverance always pays. Go for it!