Alumni Spotlight - Chami Senarath (Physics 18, MS Physics 21, CSc 23)

The power of mindset 

Toward the end of his commencement speech this May, Chami Senarath (Physics 18, MS Physics 21, CSc 23) reminded his fellow graduates that they have the power to choose how to move forward during challenging times.

We all have and are going to experience suffering at some point. We can either not acknowledge it and take it out on other people…or we can be defiant and accept that suffering is part of life too and transform it into something beautiful, into some sort of healing state.” 

Chami has learned this from experience. He left Sri Lanka, reluctantly, in 2014 to study in America, and most of what he can remember from those early months was sadness and anxiety. While he knew English, it was difficult communicating at first, having to translate every sentence in his head before speaking it. And, of course, all of his surroundings were unfamiliar. He remembers crying a lot.

“I thought many times about going back home,” he said. “It was very overwhelming trying to figure out what I enjoyed and how to relate to other people.” 

But in the midst of all of this adversity, he decided to do something brave. He changed his mindset completely and went way outside his comfort zone. Despite not knowing anything about snow, fraternities or sheet music, Chami joined the Clean Snowmobile Team, Lambda Chi Alpha and several music ensembles at Mines. He also took part in the Friday night dinners at the International House and recognizes now how important the house staff and other students were to his experience. 

”I just realized that I was lucky to be having this experience and decided to put myself out there and try new things. That mindset helped me feel peace within myself and helped me not feel so isolated.” 

He also joined a church choir, mainly because he liked singing, but also because he thought that learning about the Christian faith would help him to better navigate the culture. 

“Thankfully, the people I met at these places were not judgmental and were very helpful and understanding. I learned a lot from them, and they learned a lot from me as well.” 

Chami made many friends through these campus groups, and he also gained many mentors, including Dr. Dan Dolan, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Haley Armstrong, Assistant Professor and Music Center Coordinator. He also found the support of many when he decided to transition from physics to computer science. 

“I want to mention how important the music program is at our school. For me, it was a very beautiful thing. It made me, and others, feel like they truly belong on this campus. I believe it serves an important purpose here.”  

His love for music and an idea from Dr. Armstrong guided his senior design project, a platform called “Score-Score” which enables band directors to catalog and track pieces of music they are interested in, with its recommendation engine providing personalized suggestions). It’s turned into startup idea that won recognition at this year's Governor's Giant Vision Competition. 

He plans to continue to work on the project outside of his new job as a software engineer with Property Meld in Rapid City. He also plans on being active in the Black Hills alumni community. 

“I’m looking forward to staying here. I really enjoy the culture and I have made a lot of connections here already.”

One of the things he’ll miss most about Mines is the comfort of knowing that everyone was there to support him. He remembers how many people reached out to him when the economic crisis in Sri Lanka happened last year, wondering if his family was doing okay. They also reached out to him after the Easter attacks in 2019. 

“Almost every interaction that I had at Mines was extremely positive. From President Rankin, Dr. Joe the Dean of Students, the Ivanhoe International Center, the Career Services office, everyone was so kind. I knew that I could trust them. It wasn’t just a superficial relationship.” 

He is grateful for Suzi Aadland and Beth Riley in the Ivanhoe International Center for helping him with things he wasn’t prepared for. 

“They felt almost like your parents. They made themselves so welcoming that it was so comfortable to talk with them about anything. Those of us who didn’t grow up in cold climates, they helped us find warm coats and shoes.”  

Above all, Chami feels that his ability to push through those tough times and excel at Mines was really all about mindset. 

“My family spent a lot of time and money for me to be here, so it was important for me to get the most out of this experience as possible.” 

To other international students, Chami would remind them that while school does come first, there are so many other things you can get involved in to enhance your experience on campus and in Rapid City. 

“Try things that you haven’t done before. Keep learning new things and make yourself more intellectually diverse. This country offers a lot of opportunities that people in other countries cannot experience.” 

Chami starts at Property Meld later this month, but for now, he’s doing what he does best – experiencing something new. He’s finishing up helping out at a friend’s family farm in Colorado. 

“I’m not a good farmer but I’ve learned a lot of things,” he said with a chuckle. 

And after that, it’s off to Utah to visit the three national parks in that state he hasn’t seen yet. 

But the experience he’s looking most forward to is having his parents in Rapid City with him this fall. They watched his commencement speech live via Zoom, as he ended with this: 

“I would like to thank my motherland, Sri Lanka, and my family. Just as a mother to her child, Sri Lanka, and my family taught me a set of great morals to live by, how to be a loving, kind human being, developing my spiritual life with ancient wisdom and knowledge that spans beyond 3000 years from the old world…Next, I would like to thank my fatherland, the United States. Just as a father to his child, the US has taught me to stand up for myself, how to advocate, how to be bold, how to strive for success, and how to be proud of myself. I am thankful for all the opportunities this country has given me as an international student that was created by you, and for allowing me to be part of the American Dream. You make me feel at home.”

Chami Senarath on a hike in Cloud Peak Wilderness.