Letter to a Mentor - Nithika Badam

May 21, 2020

By Beth Johnson

Dear Heidi,

I hope you and your family are doing well in Arizona! As my senior year at Ohio State comes to an end, I wanted to reach out and thank you for your continued mentorship throughout my time as a student. Your support over text, through video calls, and in-person were all appreciated, and I always look forward to your insight whenever we connect!

Thank you for setting the bar on what to look for in building relationships in my future personal and professional life. I remember when I first reached out to you during my first semester in BLF; we were required to find an alumni mentor and I just kept striking out in finding someone to connect with. Although you already had someone in my cohort as a mentee, you still took me under your wing, and I am incredibly grateful. I still remember when you sent me a care package of your handwritten calligraphy a few weeks after we first connected!

You taught me how to navigate life post-grad, make the most of networking events, reminded me to prioritize my passions while developing my professional self, supported me in my job search by connecting me with your network, and have sent over countless HBR articles.

I’m excited to see how we both learn and grow over the next stage in our lives and am looking forward to swapping Facebook messenger voice memos in the future!

Nithika Badam