University of Suffolk graduate who lost her husband to Covid while pregnant gives vote of thanks speech following her graduation

A woman who lost her husband to coronavirus while pregnant with her second child has graduated from university.

Lotachi Ekwunife, from Ipswich, who was originally a pharmacist but decided on a career swap to provide for her family after her husband's death, gave a vote of thanks in the final graduation ceremony at the University of Suffolk.

She thanked her family, friends, and God for getting her through her degree and a tough few years as she graduated with a degree in data science and artificial intelligence.

Her speech rounded off graduation week at the university, which saw over 3,000 people receive their degrees across 15 ceremonies.

In it she said her two daughters, Chimamanda, 4, and Chisomebi, 1, helped inspire her through her career change.

Lotachi's hard work has paid off, and she starts her new job with data processing company Capgemini next month.

She told her fellow graduates: “We have all embraced courage in the face of fear.

“I hope I have inspired someone to take a bold step in the right direction.”