Mahika Damani

Nominated by
Sandy McBride

Program
Penn State Harrisburg (Career Studies)

Semesters as a Mentor
4

Please describe in detail how this nominee stands out among the other peer mentors in your program.
Mahika is an outstanding peer mentor with the Career Studies Program at Penn State Harrisburg. She forms true friendships with students that are characterized by trust, support, and respect. Mahika fosters growth in our students, helping them build self-confidence, independence, and accountability. Her glowing personality brings fun and positivity to every interaction. She has the remarkable gift to energize situations and make others feel comfortable and engaged. Mahika also builds a sense of camaraderie among the other peer mentors, which has created friendships and lasting relationships that otherwise would not have been formed. The students and peer mentors truly love spending time with her. Mahika faces each challenge with a can-do attitude. Her extraordinary on-the-spot problem solving skills are at a professional level. This semester Mahika has taken on the added challenge of serving as a job coach for students working off campus. In this role, Mahika has an innate ability to identify when a student is struggling with a specific task in the work environment and can create and implement an accommodation that helps the student complete the task independently. The Career Studies Program is incredibly fortunate to have Mahika as part of our team!