Last week, I joined our Class of 2015 for their Senior Soiree. An always-festive occasion, the event is made even more special by an announcement that, until that evening, is a highly guarded secret—the naming of the Senior Class’s Commencement speaker.
Senior Class Officers Sahitya Raja and Ahilya Chawla had the honor of making the big reveal: this year’s Commencement speaker will be award-winning novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
The announcement was met with loud cheers—and for good reason. If you haven’t read Ms. Adichie’s work (and I suggest that you do) you may be familiar with her words from Beyoncé’s Grammy-nominated song Flawless (Beyoncé loved Ms. Adichie’s 2013 TEDx Talk, “We should all be feminists”). She is a talented writer, a distinguished humanitarian, and unabashed feminist whose thought-provoking work has inspired a generation—including scores of Wellesley students.
Simply put, Chimamanda is the perfect choice to send off our graduating seniors as they get ready to make their mark on the world. We can’t wait to welcome her to Wellesley!