Rani is pleased to announce that Shaluka Samarasena has joined Rani Engineering at our Minneapolis office. Shaluka comes to us with over a year of experience as a Civil Engineer-in-Training (E.I.T.) at AET. He has expertise in construction field testing and inspection, and recent accomplishments have included performing full-time testing and inspection for the Thrivent Financial Headquarters building in Downtown Minneapolis, that is still under construction.
Question 1
Q: What attracted you most about working for Rani?
A: The smaller size of the company and the leadership team. I genuinely felt like Rani would be a great place to unleash my full potential.
Question 2
Q: Out of all the projects you have worked on, which one was your favorite and why?
A: I performed full time inspection over the summer of 2018 for the Park 81, warehouse construction project in Maple Grove, MN. I was in charge of making sure that the dynamic compaction process of the site was done according to engineer’s recommendations. This was a really fun project since I essentially watched a 30-ton plate being dropped from a 10’ height every 15 seconds or so for 12 hours a day and occasionally got yelled at by the neighboring businesses for the noise and vibration levels associated with the project.
Question 3
Q: What do you like most about your career?
A: My favorite thing about being a civil engineer is the rewarding feeling after finding a solution to a difficult problem. I also really enjoy the interaction with clients and contractors.
Question 4
Q: What advice would you give to an individual just starting their career as an engineer?
A: Don’t be afraid to ask questions and to take initiative
Question 5
Q: What are three things still left on your bucket list?
A: Skydiving, travel to Kazakhstan and become a P.E.
Question 6
Q: If you could have any one superpower, which would you choose and why?
A: I would choose the ability to predict my future, because I dislike uncertainty
Question 7
Q: Are you a dog or cat person?
A: Unfortunately, I can’t be around neither dogs or cats, since I am allergic to both. If I wasn’t, I’d probably be a dog person.
Q: Where is your favorite place in the world and why?
A: New York City. I love the fast pace and diversity of this city. Every single time I come back from a trip to NYC, I get a drive to work harder and enjoy life to the fullest.
Question 9
Q: What movie title would you choose for the story of your life?
A: “Born to Be an Engineer” (my parents had decided that for me from the time I was a baby).
Please join Rani in extending a heartfelt welcome to Shaluka as he begins his journey with us. We hope you enjoyed learning more about Shaluka, both professionally and personally.
