Childhood dream comes true

US: Yasith de Silva has wanted to be a pilot since he was 4 years old. An act of heroism in his native Sri Lanka started him on the unlikely path to flight school in frequently snowed-under North Dakota.

De Silva graduated last Friday from the University of North Dakota's School of Aerospace Science, an accomplishment kicked off when he was working as a lifeguard at a beach in Mount Lavinia, and rescued four people from drowning in the Indian Ocean, the Grand Forks Herald newspaper reported Saturday.

He received the Mountbatten Medal, issued by the Royal Life Saving Society of the United Kingdom, from Queen Elizabeth II in London. And because he was the first Sri Lankan recipient of the medal, his country's government arranged a scholarship for him to attend a flight school - eventually leading him to the University of North Dakota.

"I was worried about the cold," he told the newspaper. "I'm from Sri Lanka, man. Anything below 60 (15 Celsius) is cold for me."

De Silva was the president of the university's International Organization and helped organize the school's annual "Feast of Nations," where food is served from different cultures.

"I always wanted to let everyone know a little bit about diversity here," he told the newspaper of the sparsely populated state. "I think that's lacking. It's no one's fault. The best way is to show people different cultures."

De Silva has sent out applications to SriLankan Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Moving back to South Asia, he said, will give him the chance to fly larger airplanes, fly internationally and to pay off his student loans more quickly.

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota (AP)