Meet Mazin Bilal, one of our 2025 graduates! This fall, Mazin will embark on an exciting new journey at the University of Pennsylvania, where he plans to major in Neuroscience on the pre-med track. Driven by a deep passion for medicine and a commitment to serving others, Mazin dreams of making a lasting impact through his work. Read on to learn more about his inspiring journey and the meaningful goals he’s set for the future!
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I will major in Neuroscience on the premed track at the University of Pennsylvania. After my undergraduate years, I am planning on attending medical school with the goal of becoming an acute critical care trauma surgeon. I plan to open a private practice, as well as start and employ a number of free medical clinics in rural Sudan.
What are you most excited about as you take this next step? What are you most looking forward to in life after high school?
I am looking forward to joining and participating in clubs and campus life, and the many resources Penn offers. I am also excited to have a more flexible schedule that will allow me to pursue my hobbies in more depth, as well as find new ones!
How do you think your time at EACS helped prepare you for what’s next?
Esperanza is very unique in the community involvement it fosters. It straddles being ethnically diverse while still staying culturally and socially significant. Esperanza was founded to empower communities to improve their conditions, and its core mission has been invaluable to me.
The administration’s readiness to provide guidance and resources allowed me to take the first steps to start grassroots medical initiatives that provide resources far beyond North Philadelphia. With Esperanza’s support, I hope to be able to reduce maternal mortality in rural Sudan by 50% within 5 years through training and supplying village midwives. As a student at Esperanza, there were many resources available for me to take an active role in my community. I am confident the skills I gained from Esperanza will support my endeavors and translate well to my future academic and international endeavors.
Who or what has inspired you most on your journey so far?
My father and mother hail from rural Sudan, where struggle is the only thing guaranteed. And although they were never able to eat to their fill, they were always filled with a passion for helping the community. They never turned away, even when life demanded more of them than seemed fair.
I saw my mother set aside her medical career to raise us, and I saw my father set aside his medical career to move us to America. That taught me sacrifice, and witnessing them currently persevere to get back into medicine again continues to teach me determination. My mother, a physician with over 15 years of experience, is currently redoing her residency in Wales. My father, a physician with over 20 years of experience, is currently reapplying for medical school.
I use the perseverance they taught me to push through setbacks, the love of service they inspire in me whenever I volunteer, and the sacrifice they display as inspiration to give. In striving to embody their essence, I found myself. For as long as I’m alive, I will keep them alive as well, living and breathing through every decision I make, every life I touch, and every act of kindness I offer. Their legacy will endure not only in my actions but also in the values I share with those around me, ensuring that their love, strength, and sacrifices continue to shape the world for generations to come.
What advice would you give to younger students who are still figuring out their path?
Be genuine. It’s one of those rare qualities that cannot be faked. In an age of gilded facades, give and don’t expect anything in return. Be there for people. Be that person people can rely on. Be that person people can approach, and never do it for an ulterior motive. You will never gain value from your interactions with others if you never provide value.
Be grounded. Never place your self-worth on a dream that you sell to yourself based on the permission of others. Never measure yourself against an arbitrary measure of success that society forced onto you. Never place your self-worth in a ‘yesterday’ that doesn’t exist anymore, nor a ‘tomorrow’ that is never promised. Rooting your self-worth in anything other than yourself is a mistake. If your happiness is rooted in anything other than yourself, you do not own it.
Be driven. Find something that keeps you up at night. Something you care about. Something you can’t stand to leave alone. Now go chase after it. We live in an age where many are complacent about not caring how they make a living. Dare to care about your cause, and be terrified of becoming a faceless, nameless part of the masses. Leave a mark wherever you tread. Be irreplaceable, and most importantly, be unforgettable.