Bala Parimala

Venkata Sai Lakshmi Yelaka

From a village bicycle mechanic’s daughter to engineer, researcher, published author, and Siri mentor

Venkatasailakshmi 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.

Mary’s Story

In the first week of November 2025, Mrs. Damayanthi from Siri Foundation visited the home of Yelusuri Mary in Sithampeta village near Devarapalli. What she saw was heartbreaking—a modest house with no proper floors, no doors, and no running water. Inside, Mary’s father, under the influence and visibly distressed, was yelling. As Mrs. Damayanthi stepped out of the house with Mary and her mother in tears, she comforted them with a powerful promise:

“Don’t worry about Mary’s education. Siri Foundation will stand with her until she can stand on her own feet.”

Mary’s life had always been difficult. From 6th to 10th grade, she studied at Government Zilla Parishad High School in Gajuwaka. During those years, her family lived in a tiny security room beneath an apartment building, where her father worked as a watchman and her mother as a maid.

One of the greatest blessings in Mary’s life was her teacher, Mrs. Subhashini, who recognized her talent, encouraged her to dream bigger, and instilled confidence in her. With her guidance, Mary excelled in her 10th-grade exams, scoring an impressive 590 out of 600.

Thanks to her dedication and her uncle Mr.Sagar’s support, Mary earned admission into Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Gurukulam for her 11th and 12th grades. These residential schools, run by the Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society, provide free education to deserving students and prepare them for competitive exams like IIT and NEET.

Mary continued to work hard and scored 951 out of 1000 in her junior college board exams. She appeared for the NEET medical entrance exam but did not qualify on her first attempt. She stayed focused, prepared again, and on her second attempt, she secured admission to Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada, to pursue her MBBS.

Recognizing her perseverance and potential, Subhashini teacher reached out to Mr. LVN Rao and Mrs. Damayanthi. Siri Foundation stepped in once again—this time to sponsor Mary’s medical education and support her additional academic and living expenses.

Mary’s journey is a powerful reminder that circumstances do not define destiny. With hard work, guidance, and the right support, even the biggest dreams become possible.

Siri Foundation is honored to walk beside Mary as she transforms her life—and paves the way for a brighter future for her family and community.

We look forward to the day when Dr. Mary returns to serve the community and inspire the next generation, just as she was inspired.

Adapa Sai Praneeth , Siri’s first Medical student.

In 2019, Sai Praneeth was accepted into the six-year MBBS program at NRI Institute of Medical Sciences, Vishakhapatnam A.P. It was a dream come true, but his family faced significant financial challenges. His father, Mr. Prasad, was battling Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease, and his mother, Mrs. Vijaya Lakshmi, worked at a small publishing company. Their income wasn’t enough to cover the cost of his medical education.

Praneeth tried securing a student loan from a bank but was unsuccessful. Just when things seemed impossible, an acquaintance introduced him to the Siri Foundation’s scholarship program. The Foundation stepped in and covered 100% of his tuition for all six years, allowing him to focus on his studies without financial stress.

Sadly, his father passed away during this time, but Praneeth remained determined to achieve his dream. He successfully graduated as a doctor on February 24, 2025. We are incredibly proud to have been part of his journey and can’t wait to see the impact he will make in the medical field. 

Congratulations, Dr. Adapa Sai Praneeth!

Ms. Illapu Mani, the second of three daughters born into a family of farmers, was an A+ student in the 10th grade, receiving a 9.4 GPA (out of 10). She had an immense passion for Agricultural Sciences, which she exhibited when presenting innovative projects to the National Children Science Congress in 2010 and 2011. Unfortunately, due to her family’s financial status she was forced to drop out of school and get married just like her elder sister, settling to be a housewife, a common practice in rural India. Not wanting to give up her dream, she decided to take on a job to support her education and family, working both as a waitress and agricultural worker. Siri Foundation heard about Ms. Mani and her situation through her teacher, a Siri volunteer, and the team was compelled to help. Siri provided her with a scholarship and made her the very first supported student. As a result, Mani was able to pursue her dreams, received her diploma in Agriculture Sciences in 2015. She completed her undergraduate studies in 2018, Bachelor of Sciences in Agriculture, at the Acharya N.G.Ranga University, Bapatla, one of the best institutes in this segment in South India.

Ms. Mani is now working as a scale-2 officer at Karur Vysya Bank. A meaningful impact !!

Hari Spandana, a gifted and talented student from a remote village Veeravelli Agraharam, her hopes of higher education dwindled when her father was struck with a disease that paralyzed his legs, and confined to the bed for a year. She is the eldest of three children from a poor family of agricultural workers. She achieved 9.8 GPA out of 10 in tenth grade and has a thirst to study in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Only privileged children can afford best training to attain good scores that opens doors to IIT or prestigious engineering schools. Hari Spandana has a remarkable talent, but no means and resources to achieve her goals. The odds were against her dreams of higher education because of the financial difficulties, being a girl, living in a remote village, a paralyzed father with no support from the other family members. 

Siri foundation took a bold decision and approved 100% scholarship that covers her school fees, education expenses and hostel fees. Finally, Hari Spandana joined in 11the grade at the Sri Chaitanya Institute on June 20th, 2016in pursuit of her dreams.

Despite joining few weeks late, and far behind the course work, she had made it to the top tier cohort. Just like any other privileged kid, she has a fair chance at the IIT target. The impossible dream a month ago suddenly became a reality. 

While she was waiting for the admission, she contributed over 80 hours of volunteer work by organizing education camps for the young children in her village. The desire to dream big and share the knowledge was commendable.

Mr.Sanyasi Rao could not find a decent job after his undergraduate course in Arts, and had to return to his village to help his family. He washed clothes during the day, and worked in the sand mine at night, until Siri offered him a part-time job at the village library in Vechalam. In hopes of helping him find a more stable occupation, Siri sponsored his studies, and now he completed Bachelors in Physical Education.

Priyanka and Dhana Lakshmi received scholarships for a two year program of Diploma in Education (D.Ed) in Govt. District Institutes of  Educational Training (DIETs).  A first step to become teachers.

Mr. Satyanarayana YVV presented their scholarship on Oct 29, 2017.