Menty grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, attending a French immersion school, and received two B.A. degrees from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Political Science and Legal Studies, with a minor in Arabic. In 2015, she studied Arabic in Jordan, and worked with Syrian and Palestinian refugees. During the 2016 refugee crisis, she worked briefly in Lesvos, Greece providing humanitarian relief on the islands adjacent to Turkey. After graduating, she interned with the UN Refugee Agency in Ethiopia, then was as a refugee resettlement case manager in the DC area. Before Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS), she worked in immigration and refugee policy advising for a resettlement agency on Capitol Hill. As a Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) member, she was selected for a diplomatic and cultural exchange program to the UAE to meet government and civil society officials. In addition to MSFS, she works at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security as a research assistant, and works annually to organize the Arab Conference at Harvard University, leading a fundraiser for refugees. In her studies, she is interested in human rights and humanitarian affairs, with a regional emphasis on the Middle East and North Africa region. She speaks French, Arabic (Levantine), Amharic, and Spanish.

"I chose MSFS because of the phenomenal expertise within both the faculty and the cohort, as well as its location in Washington, which grants access to timely, relevant, and high-level events. The reputational value of MSFS in this field is undeniable, and the tight-knit cohort guarantees lifelong friendships and professional connections."