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As technology integrates into daily life in unforeseen ways with the development of AI, , assistant professor of economics, asserts that a humanistic approach to education focused on critical reasoning, creativity, and individuation is more crucial than ever before.

Mensah has been awarded a $6,400 Educational Entrepreneurship Grant from the Institute for Human Studies at George Mason University for her initiative to launch the Pepperdine Economic Forum designed to promote community-focused intellectual exchange, where students deeply engage with classical economic principles through active research and mentorship. 

鈥淎s an educator, my responsibility is to help students think critically and prepare them to engage meaningfully with a rapidly changing world, and this grant will provide more opportunities to do so,鈥� says Mensah. 鈥淚 aim for my students to participate in thoughtful dialogue over the world economy, our shared history, free market ideas, liberty, and justice, and to see diversity and inclusion of all thought not as a political talking point, but as a human achievement that strengthens all of us.鈥�

The Pepperdine Economic Forum will consist of two core components: the Brown Bag Research Forum and the Guest Speaker Series. The Brown Bag Research Forum, named for its casual lunchtime setting, will be a comfortable workshop environment for economics students to refine in-progress projects while connecting with peers and faculty. Mensah, along with additional Pepperdine professors, will serve as a mentor, providing constructive feedback while encouraging students鈥� confidence in public speaking and relating ideas to broader classical principles to develop their critical thinking skills. 

The Guest Speaker Series will incorporate lectures given by leading economic scholars with open discussion periods to encourage dialogue between students and guest speakers. Scholars will share insights on topics related to markets and morality, constitutional government, and civil liberties in honor of the United States鈥� upcoming 250th anniversary. 

鈥淭his program is open to all in the economics program and will give Pepperdine students a platform to present their own economic research while receiving thoughtful feedback from myself and their peers, even if they are not taking a class from me,鈥� explains Mensah. 鈥淲hether these students will pursue higher education or enter the workforce, it is important for me to teach them specialized skills.鈥� 

After completing her graduate studies in Ghana, her home country, Mensah earned her PhD in economics from Colorado State University, where her cross-cultural perspective informed her specialization in global economic dynamics as well as environmental economics and applied econometrics. Mensah advocates for education models that emphasize applied intellectual insights, reducing overreliance on AI while protecting and promoting genuine diverse thinking. 

鈥淕rowing up in Africa and then moving to the US brings a global perspective to my teaching where I want Pepperdine students to be open to understanding the full story of how international economies are working while also equipping them with the intellectual tools to think independently,鈥� says Mensah. 鈥淎I is already reshaping how we teach and learn, and if we want our students to thrive in today鈥檚 global landscape, we need to adopt modern techniques in our teaching and create the best educational experiences for our students, to truly equip them for the future.鈥�