BU establishes scholarship in honor of bombing victim Lingzi Lu, as family expresses grief over loss

By Lauren Dezenski, Globe Correspondent

Boston University has established a scholarship fund honoring graduate student Lingzi Lu, who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombing Monday.

“A scholarship fund in her name will be there forever; people can contribute to something that is ongoing,” said Kenneth Feld, a BU trustee who proposed the scholarship, said in a statement today.

The scholarship fund was proposed Wednesday at a committee meeting including university trustees, BU said. Before the meeting had adjourned, the seven people in attendance had committed $560,000.

Lu, 23, was killed by one of the bombs that exploded near the finish line at the marathon. She had gone to see the finish line with two friends. One, Zhou Danling, was hospitalized with injuries. The other was unharmed.

The fund aligns with the Lu family’s wishes to honor their daughter, who was a graduate student studying statistics. The family will travel from their home in Shenyang, China, to Boston later this week, BU said. Her name has also been rendered as LU Lingzi.

In a statement released by the college, Lu's family said they are "at a loss for words to describe the pain and sadness we are experiencing following the sudden passing of our dear daughter.

"She was the joy of our lives. She was a bright and wonderful child. We were thrilled to watch her grow into an intelligent and beautiful young woman. She was a positive role model for many others.

"It has always been her dream to come to America to study. While she was here, she fell in love with Boston and its people. She loved her new friends and her professors at Boston University. She wanted to play a role in international business, specializing in applied mathematics. She has been studying very hard toward her goal. Sadly, it was not to be.

"While her dream has not been realized, we want to encourage others who have Lingzi’s ambition and dreams, and want to make the world a better place, to continue moving forward."

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.