Mentors helped Anita Ranhotra discover confidence in her abilities. She’s made a career of paying that forward by mentoring students and colleagues.
As an introverted freshman, Anita Ranhotra found a way to come into her own at Kansas State University with help from industrial engineering professor Brad Kramer. He asked a senior in the program to show her the ropes, and from that introduction, she blossomed.
“Ken was the reason I came out of my shell and got involved in the college,” Ranhotra said. “He introduced me to upperclassmen, so I had all these big brothers and sisters who wanted to help me grow. They always say your mentor sees something in you that you may not see in yourself.”
She’s eternally thankful that others helped uncover her potential.
“These upperclassmen recognized someone with the potential to lead and excel,” Ranhotra said. “They believed that through their encouragement and support, they could help me become a strong engineer and leader.”
The belief in Ranhotra’s abilities proved true. She’s now the distribution engineering manager for Hallmark Cards, leading the engineering, quality and EHS (environmental, health and safety) teams supporting more than three million square feet of Hallmark’s logistics network across three distribution locations. Ranhotra earned her bachelor’s in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering in 1994, and her engineering management master’s in 2001.
Ranhotra has paid forward the kindness those upperclassmen showed her by mentoring students and providing financial support through two scholarships. One was established by her for the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) student chapter president. The other is the Ranhotra Family Engineering Scholarship created by her parents, Gur and Tej, with participation from her and her brother Rick, who graduated from K-State in 1983 with a degree in chemical engineering.
“My brother and I put ourselves through college, and our parents taught us to pay it forward,” Ranhotra said. “K-State created two good engineers, and you need to give back. My dad started the family scholarship as a way to thank K-State for providing his two kids with an education.”
Ranhotra credits K-State for contributing to who she is as a leader and an individual.
“I was active with IISE in college and ended up being the chapter president my senior year. It
really helped me find my leadership skills,” she said. “I know how much time being president of the student chapter takes away from what you might otherwise be doing — schoolwork, having fun, having a job. The scholarship is my way of acknowledging that work and helping support them.”
Ranhotra stays involved with IISE, having served on the board of trustees and speaking at conferences. She recently gave a keynote address on the importance of mentoring at a conference in Phoenix, where she was able to include one of her K-State IMSE mentees from 11 years prior as a guest. They have stayed connected through the years, both as mentor/mentee and as friends.
While her scholarship helps students financially, for Ranhotra, what’s most beneficial goes beyond the pocketbook.
“What’s valuable in terms of giving back to your alma mater is thinking, ‘How are you helping grow the next generation?’,” Ranhotra said. “It’s easy to write a check or click the donate
button, but that doesn’t have as much impact as spending time one-on-one with a student and being a sounding board for them.”
By Marisa Larson, KSU Foundation
