The Cornell University community in New York is mourning the death of a Nigerian postgraduate student, Oreoluwa Odetunde, who died on Thursday.
The deceased, an alumna of the University of Lagos, was discovered lifeless in her apartment off campus.
It was gathered on Monday that the 30-year-old was a first-year student in the Master of Business Administration programme at the institution’s S.C. Johnson College of Business.
Odetunde had obtained her bachelor’s degree in economics from UNILAG seven years ago.
A campus newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, reported the incident, describing her as a brilliant international student who made significant contributions to campus life.
She was a member of several professional bodies on campus, such as the Johnson African Business Society, the Black Graduate Business Association, and the Old Ezra Finance Club, according to the report.
The late student had received recognition as a Forté Fellow and Sage Scholar, two prestigious academic honours awarded to exceptional students.
Before relocating to the United States for her postgraduate studies, Odetunde had gained professional experience working with top Nigerian financial firms.
She had served in research and strategy analysis capacities at Anchoria Asset Management and Greenwich Merchant Bank.
The Cornell Johnson Graduate School, in a tribute on its LinkedIn page, described the loss as devastating.
“We are devastated for Oreoluwa’s family, friends, classmates and instructors and extend our deepest condolences in this difficult time,” the institution wrote.
Her death is the latest in a series of fatalities involving Nigerians living abroad.
Legal Observer reports that last Thursday, a Nigerian footballer, Saburi Adeniji passed away in the United Kingdom after sustaining a severe brain stem injury.
Three weeks earlier, another Nigerian, Douglas Izevbigie, who was studying in the UK, died on January 21 after a prolonged battle with leukaemia.
