Multiple award-winning novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, has been announced as the invited speaker for the 2019 Yale Class Day.
The 41-year-old writer graduated with a Master’s Degree in African History from Yale University in 2008.
A Class Day Planning Committee member, Shuyu Song said the writer was selected based on her ability to give a meaningful and memorable address to the class.
“The selection process centers around those whom we believe will give a memorable and meaningful address to the class.
“Given Adichie’s extraordinary experience and poignant literary commentary, we have no doubt that her participation in Class Day will be a memorable part of this day of celebration and address concerns that are relevant to our class as we reflect on the changes that we have witnessed on this campus in the past few years,” Shuyu said in a mail to the Yale Daily News
Chimamanda Adichie not being a politician breaks the norm of former speakers being politicians.
Some of the most recent Class Day speakers are former Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014, former Vice President Joe Biden in 2015 and presidential aspirant, Hillary Clinton.
Chimamanda came to limelight for her first novel titled Purple Hibiscus, published in 2003.
She has gone to write others including Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah.
