Dr. Wangari Maathai was born on April 1, 1940, in the small rural village of Ihithe in the Nyeri District of Kenya’s central highlands. She began her schooling at the Ihithe Primary School in 1948, followed by St. Cecilia’s School and Loreto Girls’ School. In 1960 Wangari received a Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation scholarship that enabled her to study in the United States. 

 

After receiving a B.S. in Biology from Mount St. Scholastica College and a Master of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh she earned a Ph.D. in Veterinary Anatomy from the University of Nairobi. Wangari Maathai was the first woman to receive a doctorate in Central and East Africa.

 

Dr. Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her contribution to democracy, sustainable development, and peace. She was the first African woman to receive this most prestigious honor. Dr. Wangari Maathai was a role model for woman and remains an important figure in environmental circles. We remember Wangari for her for hard work and perseverance.