Saturday afternoon, 10th of December, 2005, aSosoliso Airlines plane from Abuja was having trouble landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport. The weather was harsh, and the runway was poorly marked and so it was difficult to make out the runway.
When the plane finally crash landed, it was a clear 70 metres from the runway, but the crash didn't kill the passengers, the fire that erupted after landing did. Because there were no emergency services to respond, eyewitnesses watched as most of the plane that carried them quickly became their big, burning casket.
But there were survivors; 2, of the 103 on board died in the crash.
Enter Kechi Okwuchi.
Kechi, who is now 25, through the crash, the coma, the burns, the haunting memories, still graduated with a First Class from the University of Saint Thomas, a private Catholic Institution in Houston, Texas on Saturday, May 16th.
It gets more interesting.
She received invitations from 6 honour societies including, theAquinas honor society, Omicron Delta Epsilon which is the International Economics honor society, and the Delta Epsilon Sigma, which is extended exclusively to students who are in the top 10% of their graduating class.
Of the three graduands nominated to make the commencement speech at the graduation ceremony, she was selected.
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Kechi with her friends at her graduation
She posted on her Facebook page: "Making the Commencement Speech at the University of St Thomas graduation on Saturday was one of the most awesome things that I have ever done. Only God could have made it possible!
Here is to my beloved 60 Angels!!!"
The 60 angels she referred to were her schoolmates from Loyola Jesuit College who died in the crash.
Even though they are not with her, she sure made them proud.
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