Ruth T. Mekonnen graduated magna cum laude a semester early from George Mason University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Politics with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in African and African American Studies. During her undergraduate schooling, she participated in the selective Global Politics Fellows program and was Co-Founder, Secretary, and eventually President of the Model African Union club. She spent the summer of her Freshman year interning at the Ethiopian Community Development Council and the remaining three years working in the compliance department at Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production. Born in Ethiopia, her native tongue is Amharic. Ruth lived in Montreal during elementary and middle school, where she learned French. After moving to the U.S. in high school, she further improved her proficiency in French by participating in Virginia’s Governor’s French Language Academy immersion program. When she isn’t painting or reading, she is learning how to play piano or binge watching the latest Netflix show.