Letter to a Mentor - Rohan Makhijani

May 12, 2020

By Beth Johnson

Dear Neil,

I’m going to start by telling you something you already know: I wouldn’t be where I am without you.

 Now I’m going to tell you something nobody’s known until right at this moment: I’m enrolling at OSUCOM for medical school.

It’s hard to put into the words the value you’ve brought to my life. I can be nothing but grateful. You allow me to fight for what I want. You enable me to challenge myself, you, and others. You encourage me to learn for myself but always guide me to make the right decisions.

The time will come where our paths diverge, but Ohio State has become more than “the place where I received my education.” I’m a Buckeye, and my values are a direct extension of the place I call home. We really did end up choosing the right school. A bunch of people wonder how I am who I am, and I can confidently tell them the truth…

I’ll tell them that I was coached by a brother who believed in me and who supported me, and who always made me feel like my potential was limitless. I’ll tell them that, simply put, I was trained by the best. If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of a giant.

Now I’m ready for the next step. Because of you, I can define what success means to me, what greatness looks like for me. Thank you for 21 years, I can’t wait to kick ass with you for the rest.