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St Olaf College
When Sarah Mugoli Balekage ’25 speaks about her path to Oxford University, she rarely starts with grades, interviews, or accolades. Instead, she begins with faith.
“Everything I do is driven by a deep understanding of God’s love for humanity,” Balekage says. “I am humbled daily by knowing that He cares about people even more than I do; and among many, He chooses to use me to bring hope to the world. Through my story, I want people to encounter His love and to know that He is real. One of my biggest missions in life is to empower women in Congo and Africa through education and partner with multinational organisations to advance their development.”
For Balekage, who has begun a master’s program in African studies at Oxford this fall through the prestigious Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, education has never been just about herself. It has always been about the lives she hopes to change.
Balekage grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where her father spent years working with humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross and Finn Church Aid. His focus on child protection and microeconomics for vulnerable populations deeply influenced her vision.
“Whenever my dad came home, he brought flyers from the organisations he worked with,” Balekage says. “Everything was powered by education. He wanted education to be a tool that could change the situation in our country.”
Balekage watched her parents defy cultural and economic pressures by educating both sons and daughters equally.
“Whenever my mom would have a newborn, our relatives would send young girls from our village to babysit us instead of going to school,” Balekage explains. “However, my parents would not let them work. Instead they would put them in school to learn, be stable in life, and help their families back in the village. When I saw that, I knew I wanted to be like my parents one day.”
At 17, Balekage left the DRC to attend the United World College (UWC) in Hong Kong, where she first learned English and encountered peers from more than 100 nationalities.
“That’s where I realised that diversity itself can be a force for unity,” Balekage says. “I came from a place dominated by unending ethnic conflicts, so living in a place where students could celebrate their differences and learn from each other was eye-opening and informed my purpose. I learned that education could actually be a force to unite people for peace and sustainable future, and everyone lived daily by this mission.”
Her UWC experience opened the door to St. Olaf College through the Davis Scholars program. Arriving in Northfield, Balekage began as a social work major, drawn by her desire to support children and families. But as she advanced through the program, she encountered a major setback through which she recognised that the U.S.–based social work licensure track would not prepare her for the work she envisioned in Congo.
“I loved social work, but I realised I needed something broader — something that would let me focus on advocacy and entrepreneurship as tools for change, yet holding fast onto my beliefs,” Balekage says.
With guidance from faculty, Balekage designed her own individual major — Social Entrepreneurship and Community Advocacy.