A University of Lagos alumna, Oreoluwa Odetunde, has been found dead at her off-campus residence in New York, sparking grief among students and Nigerians at home and abroad.
Odetunde was in her first-year of a Master of Business Administration (MBA) student at the S.C. Johnson College of Business, Cornell University, according to a report by The Cornell Daily Sun. She was an international student who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Lagos.
At Cornell, Odetunde was actively involved in several student organisations, including the Johnson African Business Society, the Black Graduate Business Association and the Old Ezra Finance Club. She was also recognised as a Forté Fellow and Sage Scholar and had participated in research and strategy analysis for firms such as Anchoria Asset Management and Greenwich Merchant Bank.
Reacting to her passing, the Cornell Johnson Graduate School expressed deep sorrow in a statement shared on LinkedIn.
“We are devastated for Oreoluwa’s family, friends, classmates and instructors and extend our deepest condolences in this difficult time,” the statement read.
Odetunde’s death adds to a growing list of Nigerians who have died abroad in recent weeks. In the United Kingdom, Nigerian footballer Saburi Adeniji was pronounced dead after battling with a severe brain stem injury. Similarly, another Nigerian student in the UK, Douglas Izevbigie, died in hospital following a battle with aggressive leukaemia.
