A survivor of the Sosoliso plane crash Kechi Okwuchi has marked the 19th anniversary of the incident, saying she dedicated herself to living for her schoolmates.
The America’s Got Talent 2017 star is one of the two survivors in the Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 crash on December 10, 2005, which killed 106 people, including about 60 students of Loyola Jesuit College.
Okwuchi was a student at the college when the crash occurred, leaving her with third-degree burns with a 30% chance of survival.
After a series of lifesaving surgeries, she graduated with a first-class degree from the University of Saint Thomas, in Houston, Texas in 2015.
In a social media post on Tuesday, she said she hoped the victims’ loved ones take pride in her.
“December 10, 2024 is the 19th anniversary of the Sosoliso plane crash. So much time has passed and I’ve come such a long way…this day is always an introspective one for me,” she wrote.
“I hope the 60 Angels of Loyola Jesuit College are still watching over me as I navigate life, trying to find my place and fulfil the purpose God intends for me.
“This year, I have their loved ones in my heart the most. I hope their loved ones take pride in me, in my accomplishments, big and small. I thank them for their unwavering support these past 19 years.
“When the accident happened, they saw my survival as a beacon of light in a terribly dark time. They wrote letters to me, rooted for me, prayed incessantly for me. This is why I chose to dedicate my life to their children- my fellow classmates, the 60 Angels.
“I chose to live on behalf of myself and everyone else that was lost in that plane crash, but most specifically, to live in a way that would make the Angels and those that they left behind proud.”
In May 2023, Okwuchi bagged a master of business administration degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, United States.
