Ethni Mena-Ajakpovi

Brumley Scholar

Ethni Mena-Ajakpovi is a senior majoring in International Relations & Global Studies with a minor in Italian. Having spent her formative years in Lagos, Nigeria, Ethni is interested in African policy and economic development in West Africa. Specifically, she hopes to leverage relations between her two nationalities – the U.S. and Nigeria – to pursue anti-corruption, anti-conflict initiatives, and economic expansion in African countries.

Ethni recently spent a semester in Washington, D.C. at the LBJ School Washington Center and completed an internship at a public policy law firm, which let her delve into her intersecting passions for public policy and legal practice to address global civic issues. In summer 2026, Ethni is interning in Milan, Italy, where her work focuses on humanitarian aid and foreign policy.

As a Brumley Scholar, Ethni hopes to use her learned experiences and passion for the law to gain insight into how international security research can aid legal work to build better global communities for all.