Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Enugu, Nigeria, and spent her formative years in Nsukka, a university town in southeastern Nigeria, where the University of Nigeria is situated. Growing up, her father, a professor of statistics, and her mother, the university registrar, played a significant role in shaping her life. Adichie's academic pursuits began at the University of Nigeria, where she studied medicine and pharmacy for a year and a half, during which time she edited The Compass, a magazine run by the university's Catholic medical students.
At the age of 19, Adichie made the bold decision to leave Nigeria and move to the United States for college. She initially enrolled at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where she studied communications and political science. However, she later transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University to be closer to her sister, who had a medical practice in Coventry. Adichie graduated Summa Cum Laude from Eastern in 2001 with a bachelor's degree.
Her academic journey continued with a master's degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University, which she completed in 2003. She then went on to earn a Master of Arts in African studies from Yale University in 2008. Adichie's impressive academic record was recognized with a Hodder fellowship at Princeton University during the 2005-2006 academic year.
In addition to her academic achievements, Adichie has received numerous awards and honors, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2008 and a 2011-2012 fellowship from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Adichie is married and divides her time between Nigeria, where she teaches writing workshops, and the United States.
