"Your perspective and your contribution matter!" An LA Mentoring Journey with Amana Mbise

Vice President of Programs (LA Cohort 3 Alum and LA Mentor) Polly Carr sat down with Amana Mbise, LA 26 Mentor and our inaugural winner of the Leadership Anchorage Mentor Award in 2024, to hear his mentorship reflections and insights!

How did you become a Leadership Anchorage Mentor?

One day, while on a lunch break, my colleague's car stalled and needed to be jump-started. She called the yellow cab and soon Ahmed pulled up to help us start the car. After the car started, Ahmed did not want to be paid for his service. Right then I knew this was a different person. We exchanged phone numbers and kept in touch since then. We went on to play pick up soccer games with a bunch of immigrant guys in Anchorage. Ahmed was clearly one of the leaders of the group and recruited players at every opportunity he had.

Two years later, Ahmed reached out asking if I would serve as his LA mentor. It was easy for me to agree. In my head I was like, this dude helped to get us out of the cold. But I also had questions: What is the time commitment? What would mentoring look like? How often would we meet? Can I truly be a mentor? What if I overcommit? and many other questions.

While this was my first mentorship experience, I was somewhat familiar with the work of the Alaska Humanities Forum and Leadership Anchorage through Leo Medal who worked at the UAA Multicultural Students Center (MSS). Leo was a favorite on campus and did a great job marketing the LA program to visitors at the MSS. The former minister of my church, Jacob Poindexter, was also an LA participant and often spoke about his LA project.

I am also used to teaching and advising students on their capstone projects. I figured this experience would be transferable to Leadership Anchorage.

What followed was a series of meetings with Ahmed to go over his project and mentorship expectations. We spent days and sometimes nights because of our divergent schedules. We met in my office, library, coffee shops and my apartment. Ahmed’s dedication and hard work impressed me greatly.

What draws you into LA mentoring?

Leadership Anchorage aligns with my interest in community engaged scholarship. Designing concrete interventions that are based in the community is more satisfying than projects that live in books and shelves.

It is people like Ahmed and the LA Community Impact Projects that inspire me to want to serve as a mentor. I like being a part of positive change in our community. And, if that happens through mentoring an LA participant, then I’m fulfilled. 

The Forum is exploring how we can further engage and support Mentors. What are some of your thoughts about this?

[When the Forum hosted a Mentor Meet and Greet Lunch in January 2025], I realized how much I would have benefited from being in community with other mentors [earlier on]. That would have allowed me to learn from others’ experiences and would have helped to answer some of the initial questions I had.

I would have also appreciated an opportunity to learn about the other LA Community Impact Projects. Seeing what other participants are working on would provide a useful perspective to supporting individual participants.

As an LA Mentor myself, and in conversations with other LA Mentors, a common question arises: “How do I know if I’m doing a good job (mentoring)?” How did you know you were making an impact with your mentorship?

The more feedback and questions that a mentee asks, the more I feel they are trusting and open to engaging with me. I appreciate more questions than answers because they open up opportunities to co-create. I also know I have done a good job when a mentee can independently develop their project without worrying too much about whether they are right or wrong. The freedom to think freely and creatively is satisfying to me. I knew I was making a positive impact when Ahmed started telling me what to expect and asking me to plan ahead of our meeting. I knew then he was taking initiative for his own learning and controlling the mentoring sessions.

What was it like to find out you had been nominated for, and were the WINNER, of our Inaugural LA Mentor Award?

I was shocked. I'm the kind of person who likes to celebrate others. I have not learned to be celebrated or be recognized for doing anything. This was a high honor and it meant so much more given Ahmed's dedication and the value I place in community-based work. I felt seen. I also felt a truly hardworking participant had also been seen.

What advice would you give anyone considering being a mentor?

Mentoring others is highly rewarding. Your questions and doubts about mentoring are valid, but you are not alone. You are just as good and adequate as the seasoned mentors. Your perspective and your contribution matter! If you haven’t done it before and are considering mentoring, remember, we have heard from others and now we need to hear from YOU.

Amana is an Assistant Professor of the School for Social Work at University of Alaska Anchorage. He brings vast experiences in global health (HIV/AIDs and Malaria), refugee integration, and community development in Tanzania, Denmark, and the U.S. His scholarship centers around migration, human trafficking, and health equity. His ongoing and most recent works include an NIJ study on labor exploitation in Alaska and a Department of State grant to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking and domestic servitude in Tanzania. In collaboration with the Alaska Black Caucus, he led the first health needs assessment of Black Alaskans. The assessment—funded through the Anchorage Health Department—provides the first look at the overarching health status, needs, and strengths of the Black Community of Alaska.