Harnit Mahal Oral History Interview, February 21, 2024

Partial Transcript: Tell me about your early childhood and how you were brought up? Oh boy. So I grew up with two big brothers, no sisters, so naturally, because there's also a bit of an age gap between us or five and six years older than me, respectively. I got into a lot of troble as kid. I was definetly a troublemaker. Less so than my brothers, but I think we are part of the reason that our parents got some gray hair pretty early on.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal shares about her childhood including her older brothers, who were five and six years older than her, and the mischief they got into.

Partial Transcript: How did education play a role in your childhood?
It's always been there. I am a December baby and because of that when I was trying to get enrolled into kindergarten, or even preschool, I actually had to do preschool twice. That's because originally when I went in they were like "Actually, she is too young. She needs to wait a year", so I actually started school a year later than other people my age because of that.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal shares about her education experience in her early childhood which included having to do preschool twice. She disusses the various programs that helped her over the summer when she wasn't in school, and how she loved learning but not school.

Partial Transcript: What would you say changed your desire to learn?
So like I said, I was a troublemaker, and third grade I think is more pivotal than I realize sometimes. In third grade I discovered Harry Potter, and that's really important.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal talks about how in third grade she discovered Harry Potter and how her brothers would go watch the Harry Potter movies with one of their cousins when the movies came out. She was not allowed to watch the movies, but a deal was struck that if Mahal read the books she could watch the movies. After reading Harry Potter she began reading everything she could get her hands on.

Partial Transcript: Then in sixth grade what really also helped was, I don't remember how exactly it worked, but I think at the time you had to be recommended into avid.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal discusses the impact the program Avid had on her education starting in middle school.

Partial Transcript: When did you decide that you wanted to study psychology and communication?
Psychology specifically, I think, was also about sixth grade. My brothers are both older, and so by the time I was in about sixth grade, my middle brother, I think he was graduating or he had graduated.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal discusses how her desire to study psychology began when her brother had a psychology textbook that she liked the cover of, so she skimmed through it and found the material interesting.

Partial Transcript: Tell me about your first year at OSU in doing psychology and communication.
My first year was a trainwreck. There's really not any other way to phrase that or say that. I'm from California, born and raised there, and moving to Oregon was a culture shock. I remember showing up and one of my first thoughts was "Where's the melanin?". People here are a little paler than I'm used to.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal speaks on her first year at OSU and the culture shock she experienced coming from California. She describes her experience as a train wreck and details the various struggles she endured during her first year.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal talks about the difference between people pronouncing her name, Harnit, in California compared to Oregon. She goes on to discuss the impact EOP (Equal Opportunity Programs) helped her through undergrad in many ways, including time management and academic/social balance.

Partial Transcript: Being the youngest and having your brothers make mistakes before you, how much do you think them making those mistakes and you being able to learn from it helped you in college?
I think that gave me an advantage that they didn't have, and this is something I always tried to explain to my parents. I was able to do thing the way that I did because I had my brothers in my corner. They were very much fighting for me.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal speaks on how her brothers were able to help her through college in a variety of ways. She discusses how impactful their support was and how she was able to learn from the mistakes that they made.

Partial Transcript: What made you choose OSU?
So that was because of Upward Bound. Thinking about everything I've been through, I think it reinforces this belief that whatever higher power you believe in, whether it's the universe, God, or whatever, that if something is meant to be it will happen one way or the other, and it will happen when you are ready for it.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal shares the story of why she came to OSU and how the Upward Bound program brought her to OSU.

Partial Transcript: How did (COVID-19) impact your experience going into your second year?
This is a champagne problem because I know people were really struggling during COVID. I was upset because it ruined my study abroad experience, which again, is a champagne problem in comparison. It's a pandemic. There are bigger issues to worry about.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal speaks on how COVID-19 impacted her second year of undergrad and how she was unable to study abroad because of the pandemic's restrictions.

Partial Transcript: How did you handle time management and what did you learn from all the chaos?
Unfortunately it only egged me on to do more because by that second term once I kind of figured out like "Okay, this is how finals work and this is how that works" I had that down pat.

Segment Synopsis: After struggles with time management earlier in undergrad, Mahal outlines how she managed her time.

Partial Transcript: My fourth year is when I came back to OSU. That's when we had transitioned into wearing the masks and still maintaining distance. I think about halfway through is we didn't have the mask requirement anymore.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal talks about her fourth year at OSU and the transition back to being in person after the COVID-19 restrictions loosened.

Partial Transcript: How was your motivation in that last quarter knowing that you were in that final stretch, but coming out of so much sickness?
Well if this wasn't apparent, my journey through college had been nothing but eventful.

Segment Synopsis: After a very eventful undergrad, Mahal discusses how she made it through the last quarter. After housing issues and becoming technically homeless for five and a half weeks an old mentor came to the rescue.

Partial Transcript: So after that fifth term and after your graduation, what did life look like going foward? Going between then in the master's program?
Mostly boring. Thankfully it my main character time was done and it was fantastic. From about the end of January up until July I worked for EOP as an academic counselor, and it was really awesome that I was able to give back in that sense and work with students. I loved that experience, so I was just working full time.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal describes what life was like in between her last term in the fall and starting the master's program the following fall. During this time her life was mostly boring, and she worked for EOP as an academic counselor.

Partial Transcript: Tell me about what you're researching right now.
Right now I'm still trying to narrow down exactly what I'm doing with my thesis on. My program is thesis based, but I've been looking at health communication that's really like the main element.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal describes the master's program she is and what her research is. Her research is focused largely on South Asian health care and how South Asians navigate the health care system.

Partial Transcript: know you're currently teaching a public speaking class as a GTA. You mentioned a lot of tutoring experience, and I want to know how that tutoring experience kind of is now playing into your role as an instructor?
I definitely think I've been working with students longer than I had realized. I was a personal tutor in high school. I was an avid tutor for a little bit, so I've always done like some kind of mentoring with other students, which I didn't realize until writing my resume.

Segment Synopsis: As a graduate teaching assistant teaching sections of COMM 111, Public Speaking, Mahal describes how her previous experience as a personal tutor has helped her teach.

Partial Transcript: Well I guess my final question would be, is there anything in particular that hasn't been addressed that you want to bring up?
There's so much. But I think for me, I've had a lot of women that have really helped empower me, that have really been the reason that I got here. My parents weren't able to pursue education, so their knowledge, at least school schools is very limited.

Segment Synopsis: When asked about any final thoughts, Mahal talks about the women that have empowered her throughout her life in the form of mentors, friends, and other roles.

Partial Transcript: So with how many students you've mentored in the classes you're now teaching and all the people that you influence, how do you feel like, with all the women that have inspired you and helped you throughout your life, how do you feel like you've helped other women, just with the roles that you've had?
I would like to think that just being there for them. Especially with other women that I've met at OSU, I try to give back as much as I can. It's never conscious.

Segment Synopsis: Mahal talks about her impact on other women and how those who have inspired her have helped her to do so.