Gratitude and Growth: A Mahika Patil’s Journey in Tech Leadership

For Mahika Patil, being a Caldwell Fellow means never having to lead or grow alone. “I’m part of a community that values reflection over performance, and people over perfection,” she explains. This foundation proved invaluable during her software engineering internship at Google this summer, where she carried these core values into a fast-paced tech environment, consistently choosing connection over competition and embracing the truth that leadership is more about listening and learning with others than having all the answers.

Beyond Technical Skills: Leadership Through Connection

While Mahika gained valuable technical experience working with production code and complex systems at Google, her most significant growth came through applying servant leadership principles rooted in her Caldwell experience. Rather than leading through expertise, she chose to lead through presence—showing up fully even when things felt uncertain, offering help when possible, and creating space for others to share their learning.

“My approach this summer has been shaped by servant leadership, not leading by expertise but by presence,” Mahika reflects. This philosophy, grounded in the Caldwell understanding that leadership is about how we listen and learn together, guided her daily interactions from expressing sincere gratitude to colleagues who helped with debugging sessions to asking questions even when she worried they might seem obvious.

The Power of Gratitude

One of Mahika’s key discoveries was how gratitude functions as a leadership tool. What she once viewed as a simple gesture, she now understands as fundamental to building trust and helping people feel seen. This practice became central to her summer experience, whether thanking someone for explaining a complex service or simply acknowledging when a colleague checked in on her progress.

“Saying thank you—sincerely, and in the moment—builds trust,” she explains. This approach helped her build meaningful connections with her team and demonstrated that inclusion often begins with acknowledgment—a direct application of valuing people over perfection.

Creating Space for Imperfection

Mahika found inspiration in Google’s weekly gatherings where engineers shared side projects, experiments, and works-in-progress without pressure to be polished. These sessions embodied a leadership model that “invites people in instead of measuring them up,” encouraging her to share her work even when it wasn’t perfect—a direct reflection of the Caldwell emphasis on reflection over performance.

This environment reinforced a crucial lesson from her Fellowship: leadership doesn’t have to be loud or polished. The most meaningful connections often emerge from moments of openness and vulnerability, where showing up fully matters more than having everything figured out.

Navigating Self-Doubt

Despite working in a supportive environment, Mahika faced the challenge of self-doubt while surrounded by experienced engineers. Her Caldwell Fellowship experience provided the framework to navigate these feelings by reminding her that she didn’t have to face uncertainty alone and that belonging doesn’t require performance.

“My experience as a Caldwell fellow has shown me that I don’t need to perform to belong,” she shares. “Showing up as I am, curious, open, and human, is enough.” This mindset shift—from self-comparison to connection—became essential to her leadership approach and exemplified the program’s core value of choosing connection over competition.

Leadership in Unexpected Moments

Perhaps most memorably, Mahika discovered that some of the summer’s most meaningful leadership moments occurred during a team soap-making activity. Watching colleagues collaborate, share resources, and support each other through creative chaos reminded her that leadership often manifests through kindness, presence, and collaboration rather than just performance.

“Even in small, quiet moments like walking to lunch, chatting about life outside of work, or someone remembering my name after one conversation, I felt what real leadership can look like,” she reflects. These moments reinforced her understanding that leadership is fundamentally about how we listen and learn with others.

Advice for Peers

Mahika’s counsel to other NC State students reflects both her summer’s lessons and foundational Caldwell values: “Say yes to things you don’t yet understand” and “thank people often.” She emphasizes that the most meaningful aspects of both the Caldwell Fellows and professional life often emerge from unplanned moments and genuine expressions of gratitude—opportunities to choose reflection over performance and people over perfection.

Her journey illustrates how the Caldwell community’s support enables Fellows to carry these transformative values into professional environments, where showing up authentically and prioritizing connection over competition creates lasting impact, even when—especially when—things feel uncertain.