Why Mentorship Matters: One Pair’s Story

A PhD candidate and a PharmD alum reflect on curiosity, presence, and what they learned from each other through the University’s mentorship program.

Last fall, the University’s Career Development Center launched a pilot mentorship program connecting alumni in the life sciences with students seeking guidance and perspective. One of those pairings—Nick Heath, PharmD ’15, Director of Operations & Digital Enablement at Takeda, and PhD candidate Naila Mohiuddin—quickly became a model of what a successful mentoring relationship can look like.

Over the course of the semester, Heath, a Maine native, and Mohiuddin, who hails from India, met virtually six times, building a relationship rooted in curiosity and mutual respect. They recently shared what they learned from each other and from the experience.

Q: What attracted you to the mentorship program?

Naila: I applied on a whim because I like speaking with people. I was matched with Nick, and our first meeting was in the first week of September. From the start, he was very clear about the expectations. He asked me to be respectful of our time together and to be curious.

Nick: I’m very pro-mentorship and I’ve learned from my own mentors that I’m only going to get out of it what I put into it. You can’t just expect the mentor to bring everything to the table. One of the reasons this relationship was so successful is that Naila showed up with curiosity even before I asked for it.

Q: Nick, have mentors made an impact in your own life?

Nick: A thousand percent, yes. As I told Naila, I continue to have mentors. I think everyone should have a ‘board of directors’ for their life, so you don’t feel alone making decisions or going through good and bad times in your career.

I also learned early on that a mentor’s job isn’t to tell you what path to take, but to give you the tools to navigate on your own. In our first sessions, we talked about the kinds of questions you should ask yourself as you think about your future: Are you choosing a path because it’s the one you’ve been on a long time, or is it because you truly want to grow in that area? That’s guidance I continue to use in my own career.

Q: Naila, what were you looking for as a mentee?

Naila: I am a devout learner. I love to soak up information and to better myself. I was very lucky to have met Nick because our conversations weren’t just specific to industry and academics. They were much broader: How should we show up? What should our presence be? I’m deeply grateful for that.

Nick: Even though we have very different career interests—she’s into the PhD track and research—there’s still that innate curiosity and learning muscle that we related to in each other. We talked a lot about presence and speaking in a way that’s confident and creates respect in your environment. Naila did a lot to contribute to the success of this relationship.

Naila: It was only because Nick made it possible, so thank you for that.

Q: It sounds like this relationship was a two-way street.

Nick: Yes, that’s how I like to start off: This is not a one-way street. I’m learning something from Naila just as much as she’s learning something from me—and hopefully we’re both showing up to contribute our attention. I’ve had experiences over the years where the first mentoring session was all about ‘tell me how to get a job in the industry’ and that’s just not going to work.

There’s a level of earned trust and respect to be gained, and Naila earned that right off the bat by showing up engaged and respecting the relationship.

Q: What are some of the key takeaways for each of you?

Naila: I would take notes in each of our conversations and then sit with them for some time. I learned how to be present and have a presence. When we talked about networking and how to connect with people, Nick said to contribute by being present. It goes back to being curious and valuing time and energy.

Nick also complimented my strengths, and that helped me build my confidence. Hearing that from someone who has worked with hundreds of people, that meant a lot to me.

Nick: Another piece that was really impactful was talking about how to receive feedback. How do you respond and not react? How can you be present and not take things personally? Most feedback isn’t meant to be critical; it’s meant to help you improve.

Q: What would your elevator pitch be to others considering this program?

Nick: You have to want to be engaged in a relationship that’s about giving back. It can’t just be for your resume. Naila was coming to me with questions and I was sharing my thoughts and trying to help her in the best way I could.

When I talk to my friends about mentoring, I remind them to think about how hard it was to go through the early part of our career. Wouldn’t you have wanted someone to say to you, ‘Hey, maybe take a step back and think about that in a different way.’

It’s like being a good podcast host and understanding your guest. My approach as a mentor is to ask: What are you looking to get out of this?

Naila: My elevator pitch would be about how much I learned. There were so many things I picked up from our conversations; it was phenomenal. This program taught me how to speak and learn from someone like Nick.

I’m already a mentor to some undergraduates, and my approach to them has completely changed. The way that Nick showed up for me has taught me how I am supposed to be.

Nick: I learned a lot from Naila, too. A good mentoring relationship has trust, transparency, and a level of sharing that leads to both people walking away from it learning.

If you're interested in learning more about the student-alumni mentor program and how to get involved, contact the Career Development Center at 617.274.3395 or careerservices@mcphs.edu.