Seneviratne Selected as Class of 2025 Student Speaker

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Salani Seneviratne has been selected as the Class of 2025 student speaker for this year’s Senior Recognition Ceremony, which is being held on Friday, May 16 in the Mullins Center. After a call for nominations, Seneviratne was selected by a panel composed of a dean, student, staff, and faculty member.

Salani Seneviratne is a mechanical engineering student from Sri Lanka. During her time at UMass Amherst, she was involved with the UMass Aeronautics Team, the UMass student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and UMass Club Swimming.

In addition, Seneviratne held several jobs on campus: undergraduate teaching assistant for core mechanical engineering courses, administrative assistant for Residential Life, MATLAB tutor for the Office of Student Affairs, and lifeguard and swim instructor for the Recreation Center.

For her senior design project, Seneviratne collaborated with a team of mechanical engineering students and the Dynamic and Autonomous Robotic Systems Lab to design and build the hardware for a guide dog robot to support blind and low-vision individuals, a project that reflects her passion for applying engineering to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

After graduation, her goal is to work in the automotive industry, and ultimately become the first woman to represent Sri Lanka as a Formula 1 engineer and inspire the next generation.