Venkata sai lakshmi Yelaka joined the Siri Foundation family in 2015, soon after completing 10th grade . She grew up in a rural village and attended a government high school in Vaddadi with limited resources. Her father, Mr. Sita Ramayya, has worked for years as a bicycle mechanic and continues to run a small cycle-repair shop in the village, while her mother, Varalakshmi, is a homemaker.

With support from her family and Siri Foundation, she went on to complete her B.Tech in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies, graduating in 2020.

Even during the uncertainty of the COVID period, she stayed committed to her passion for metallurgy and materials engineering. She built her professional and research experience as a Project Engineer at Research Centre Imarat (RCI–DRDO) and later as a Graduate Engineering Trainee at ARCI — International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials. She subsequently joined GITAM Deemed University as a Junior Research Fellow (JRF), continuing her work in materials and manufacturing research.

Her growing research career has already resulted in a published paper, “Design Strategy for Improving Mechanical Performance of Impurity-Tolerant Al–Si–Fe Alloys,” in the International Journal of Metalcasting. 

Her long-term goal is to pursue a PhD and continue her career in metallurgy, manufacturing, and materials engineering.

What makes Sailakshmi’s journey particularly special to Siri is that she never really left the Siri family. After beginning her professional career, she returned as a volunteer and mentor—participating in community-service activities, guiding younger students, and helping the next generation believe in what is possible.

For us, that is the greatest measure of success: a student who once received support is now giving her time and experience to help others move forward.