Adopting the role of honorary 'big sister' to the graduating class, Adichie addressed one of the most pervasive pressures women face worldwide: the expectation to make themselves likeable by reshaping who they are to suit other people. She assured graduates that the world is gloriously multifaceted and diverse enough that there are people who will like the real you, as you are. The advice came with particular emotional weight — Adichie had just shared the harrowing story of her 83-year-old father's kidnapping in Nigeria three weeks earlier, an experience that made her rethink what truly matters.