Mana was a doctoral student in the International Comparative Education program at Stanford University. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007 with a B.A. in Sociology and East Asian Studies. After graduation, Mana received a Fulbright Fellowship to study alternative education programs in Japan. She also spent a second year in Japan at the United Nations Institute of Advanced Studies where she worked on gender equity issues for UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development initiative. Mana's research interests include the dynamics of global educational policies and practices, comparative education and gender equity in education. Mana is also pursuing her master's in Sociology.