Nigerian-American military officer Amanda Azubuike has made history as the first Nigerian woman to attain the position of Brigadier General in the United States Army.

Born to a Nigerian father and a mother of Zimbabwean descent in London, the 57-year-old US military official’s career started at the age of 17 when she enrolled in the Air Force Junior ROTC while attending high school at Jacksonville.

She would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Arkansas in 1993 before joining the army as an aviator in 1994 following the completion of the Army Aviation Officer Basic Course. After her graduation from flight school, she commenced military service at the Hunter Airfield in Georgia and served as a platoon leader for the 924th Aviation Support Battalion.

Azubuike would later join the 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation) in South Korea, where she served as an Operations Officer and RC-12 pilot after completing the Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course and Fixed Wing Multi-Engine Qualification Course.

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Some of her notable achievements include working as the Deputy Commanding Officer at the US Army Cadet Command, Chief of Public Affairs for the US Southern Command, and Senior Military Advisor at the Pentagon.

Academically, she also boasts of a master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University.

In the course of her over 30-year career, she has excelled and transitioned from aviation to leadership and strategic roles and also senior advisory and public affairs positions.