Mwenda completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology before receiving her Master of Education (MEd), in STEM Education, at North Carolina State University, Raleigh.
While Mwenda has lived and worked in several countries in Africa, she currently resides in Durham, NC with her husband, Derek, and youngest son Kidus. She is often joined by her three older children, Menefese, Narga, and Yashimabet when they are home from college.