Meet Nigerian-American Ifeanyi Umunna elected as president of Harvard law student government
The Harvard Law student body has officially elected Nigerian-American Ifeanyi Ruth Umunna to serve as their Student Government Co-President for the 2026–2027 school year. The HLS Student Government is a
- By Alao Abiodun
The Harvard Law student body has officially elected Nigerian-American Ifeanyi Ruth Umunna to serve as their Student Government Co-President for the 2026–2027 school year.
The HLS Student Government is a student body that strives to defend the welfare of the Students, advocate for policy changes for the benefit of the Students, and promote shared student governance.
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Announcing the feat on her LinkedIn page, Ifeanyi wrote, “I am humbled and honoured to have been elected 2026-2027 Harvard Law School Student Government Co-President, alongside my wonderful co-candidate Tenzin Y.!
“Thank you to the Student Body for believing in our vision. We are ready to serve.”
Before heading to Harvard, she was a 2024 Gates Cambridge Scholar, where she completed an MPhil in Criminology at the University of Cambridge.
Her research at University of Cambridge focused on international criminal justice systems, a passion she developed during her time as a Congressional Aide for U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch.
During her undergraduate years at American University, where she graduated summa cum laude in Political Science, she founded ZeEntry, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the tech gap for justice-involved individuals.
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She is a proud daughter of an immigrant single mother. Excellence clearly runs in the family; she is the daughter of the trailblazing Professor Dehlia Umunna, a Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard Law School (HLS) and the Faculty Director of the Law School’s Criminal Justice Institute (CJI). She is also the first Nigerian professor at Harvard Law School.
Ifeanyi was also awarded the prestigious Chayes Fellowship by Harvard Law. This fellowship will support her during her Summer 2026 internship at the UK’s Public Defender Service, allowing her to bring her expertise to London, where her mother’s own legal journey began.
Between her roles as a Juris Doctor candidate, a former Congressional staffer, and now a student body president, Ifeanyi is certainly one to watch.
She also served as the D.C. community through varied volunteer positions, including interning with Public Defenders’ offices and supporting local homeless outreach efforts.
