Manasi Mishra
In honor of Black History Month, the University of Washington and the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity proudly recognize Ernest Balezi, ’25, majoring in public health–global health with a minor in bioethics. Ernest is a Washington State Opportunity Scholar; the 2024 Murray, Pitre, Baker, Rosebaugh Scholar; a Brotherhood Initiative mentor; cofounder of the student organization Africans in Medicine; and a Summer Health Professions Education Program Longitudinal Exposure (SHPEPLE) scholar.
Balezi moved to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of Congo at the age of 11 with his family. Inspired by his mentor to pursue dentistry as a career, he wants to pay it forward by mentoring others from a place of love and care, guided by values from the Congolese culture and faith. Balezi’s compassionate leadership and generosity of spirit are an inspiration for us all at the UW.
We spoke with Balezi about his passion for mentorship, the values that guide him, and how he connects with his mentors and mentees.
Tell us about your passion for mentorship.
I moved to the U.S. in 2016 with my mom and five siblings. At the time, I did not have anyone to guide me, so I had to figure out a lot of things by myself. Eventually, my primary care doctor took an interest in me beyond my physical health. We talked about everything, and he became my mentor. It was amazing to have somebody that I could look up to. Growing up in the Lakewood/Tacoma area, a lot of my peers did not have mentors, so many of them lacked the right voices around them, and I noticed how that negatively impacted them. This led to many peers not responding well to obstacles that they were going through, mainly because they did not have the right voices in their ears. So it became my quest to be somebody who can bridge that gap for my peers, somebody who can play that mentorship role for them and inspire them to pursue their dreams and persevere through the obstacles that they were going through.
My motivation to pursue a health-care career is grounded in the idea of being a good mentor. That’s the legacy I want to leave behind. I think being able to have a platform where I can impact someone’s life positively and play a mentorship role in their lives is definitely worth the sacrifices and hard work required for me to attain that platform. I have seen so many peers who simply needed that positive role model or that voice to encourage them, to pursue their dreams. I believe with my heart that if the platform I am pursuing in life will allow me to go out there and encourage another person the same way I was encouraged, then that platform is now a dream for me to attain, as it allows me to pay it forward.
During my free time, I like to pursue hobbies, read, and engage in activities that build up my character and faith. While I was shadowing my mentor, who’s an ophthalmologist, he once mentioned that I needed to start reflecting upon what kind of character I would like to have as a health-care provider and to start building that character I envision myself having. This encouraged me to engage in mentorship even more.
Do you have any stories that you can share about your own work as a mentor?
Last year I connected with a classmate from Olympia. I noticed that he seemed quiet and did not interact much with others. So we got lunch together, and I began learning about his story and everything that he went through growing up. His story was interesting because it was very similar to mine, though we seemed to have had different responses to what happened to us. This encouraged me to build that friendship with him, especially since we had so much in common.
To this day, we’re close friends. We have taken many classes together as well. I did not necessarily think of myself as his mentor, but rather as his friend. From there, I kind of made it my quest to check in on him often and see how he was doing, how he was balancing everything that was happening in his life, the lack of a father and how he was dealing with that. The more support he received from those around him and from the resources that UW has to offer, the more I saw him open up and begin to achieve many great things. Since I am familiar with what the UW School of Medicine has to offer to students, I helped him connect to some of those programs and people I know in the medical field, and now he’s doing great and on the right trajectory in terms of the pre-medical track.
Additionally, I got to connect with a friend of mine who I have known since I was a Running Start student at community college. I was able to share with him advice on how he can best prepare himself for the obstacles that may present themselves once he moves to UW. I was also able to encourage him and support him as he transitioned to UW. I got to share with him knowledge and advice on how to navigate and utilize all the resources available to him. For me, it was important to ensure that he could start his journey at the UW well aware of the resources that are going to help support him and make his transition as smooth as possible.
What are some of the values that guide you when you mentor someone?
I view my peers and mentees as family members. I do not let any barriers get in the way of that. It does not matter whether the person looks or does not look like me, or does not have much in common with me. I just try to remove the veil from my eyes and see them as a brother or sister and as somebody who needs help at that moment and just approach them with love.
My values stem from the faith that I have and also from the values that have been instilled in me from where I come from. Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, approaching people with genuine concern and kindness was a normal thing to do. That sense of community, taking care of other people, and ensuring that everybody’s doing well, especially emotionally, is extremely important. Although not everyone has the same financial means, it has always been important to ensure that everyone is doing well emotionally. Overall, everybody’s just making sure that everybody else is doing good. That’s the type of mindset that I grew up with.
I believe in approaching people from a place of love, a place of care, like they are a part of my family — because at the end of it, I think we all are. There’s not that much difference between us.
I think it is interesting how that friend that I mentioned, for example, is Asian but I have more similarities with him than even with some other peers who are Black. We have a lot in common, in terms of our life experiences that allow us to connect on so many deeper levels. So I think it’s just really being able to remove the veil off your eyes and ask: What’s your story? How can I help you? How can I support you in a way that’s helpful and feasible?
Seeking to live my life with that mindset and heart posture has put a great desire in me to pursue a platform that would more easily allow me to be a mentor, be involved in mission-related initiatives, and leave a positive impact on the lives of those I interact with. Through volunteering, shadowing and seeking advice from as many people as I could, I have come to learn that the field of dentistry would allow me to be involved in all of the initiatives that are important to me and achieve my dream of playing a mentorship role in the lives of others. Hence why I plan to apply to dental school after I graduate from UW, and I sincerely hope to be granted admission and receive the opportunity to pursue my dreams and goals.
