Meet One of Rani’s Newest Team Members, Shaluka Samarasena.
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.
