2026-27 President's Scholars

Bimani Abey Sundara Dissanayake

Iana Williams President’s Scholar 2026-27

Major: Civil Engineering

College of Engineering

Activities: Civil Engineering Intern, KPFF; Undergraduate Researcher, STARS Undergraduate Research Program; Tau Beta Pi; Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society; Media Creator, North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) CPP Student Chapter; American Concrete Institute; American Society of Civil Engineers

Bimani Abeysundara Dissanayake’s interest in civil engineering began with a childhood curiosity about how the built environment takes shape. She wondered how buildings remain strong, how roads and bridges are designed and how ideas drawn on paper become real structures that people depend on every day. That curiosity grew into a passion for creating work that serves communities through thoughtful design and construction. At Cal Poly Pomona, Bimani has pursued that passion through research, professional experience and student involvement. She is a civil engineering intern at KPFF, a structural, civil and survey engineering firm. Bimani is deeply grateful to her family, especially her parents, whose support has helped guide her journey. After moving to the United States alone from Sri Lanka, she drew strength from their sacrifices, encouragement and pride in even her smallest achievements. That journey has made her resilient, focused and deeply appreciative of opportunity. Bimani hopes to become an engineer, pursue graduate study, start her own construction company and create a nonprofit that supports talented students facing financial or family hardships.