"The nomination made me feel like I have met the objectives of the programme and have achieved something important that I need to"

My first impression was remembering how smart he looked, his friendly approach and excellent mannerisms

Mani Moktan, MEng Engineering 

Mani Moktan, an MEng Engineering Programme Student took part in the Professional Mentoring Scheme and won the award for Mentee of the Year in 2017. His Mentor Zaman Mahmud stated:

“My first impression was remembering how smart he looked, his friendly approach and excellent mannerisms. His confidence and a great big smile made the whole meeting comfortable. Throughout the programme it has been an absolute pleasure to meet an individual so highly experienced and humble.”

Mani Moktan won the award for Mentee of the Year in the February wave of the Professional Mentoring Scheme. Mani explains: “I was very surprised to be nominated as I generally did not expect it at all. My mentor and I have built a very good relationship along the way. I have listened to his experiences and he has listened to mine. Communication is key to anything and we both had them skills. On top of this, my hard work, commitment and dedication to my duties might have left a positive impact on him compelling him to nominate me for this award. The nomination made me feel like I have met the objectives of the programme and have achieved something important that I need to. It was an honour to be nominated by my mentor who I highly look up to.”

Zaman Mahmud, Mani’s mentor, explains why he joined the programme: “I have enjoyed volunteering within the STEM Ambassador programme in various schools and have found it both enjoyable and rewarding to provide children with a another viewpoint into their opportunities post academia. Hence when I heard about this scheme it was a natural next step for me be able to share my knowledge of the engineering industry with someone who could benefit from it more directly. It was simultaneously a conduit to teach me to communicate effectively in a supportive and advisory capacity.”

He explains how he believes he helped his mentee: “Mani had clearly had a tough year on both personal fronts as well as during university where people were taking advantage of his good nature. I’ve tried to remind him on a few occasions that university can often be a microcosm of the real working world; with wide ranging pressures and personalities and if he can learn to manage as best as he can the situations and his colleagues, it will bode well for him and keeps his head above water when the demands of industry arise.”

Written by Alejandra Ceballos, City University BA Journalism student. Experience City Case Studies are published by the CityCareers service. If you have a Case Study you would like to see featured, please get in touch.