warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Lingzi Lu: A Boston Bombings Victim Chasing Her Math Dream In America

Zhao Chen |
April 17, 2013 | 1:44 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

Lingzi Lu, a graduate student from Shenyang, was killed in Monday's explosion. (Flickr)
Lingzi Lu, a graduate student from Shenyang, was killed in Monday's explosion. (Flickr)
Lingzi Lu, a Chinese graduate student at Boston University majoring in mathematics and statistics was identified as the third fatality in Monday's bombings in Boston.

Lu was born in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang and moved to Boston last fall to pursue her passion in mathematics and statistics, after graduating from the Beijing Institute of Technology.

According to CNN, Lu is a hardworking girl who had won academic scholarships during her undergraduate years in Beijing.

When she was still missing before confirmed dead, tens of thousands of messages searching for her had been spread on various social media, notably like Weibo, roughly the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, and Renren, similar to Facebook.

Yongkun Yang, a middle school teacher who has taught Lu, told Xinhua News that he is very worried about Lu's still being missing. "Although she has graduated long ago, I still have deep impression about her. She is very smart and down-to-earth. I hope we can find her safe and sound as soon as possible," he said.

Lu's last Weibo status is a picture she posted the day she died. It shows her breakfast: bread and a bowl of fruits with the English caption "My wonderful breakfast" and a smiley-face emoticon.

Her last Renren post features a catch paragraph shared by many Renren users several days ago. It loosely translates as:

"For a woman, it is worthwhile to pursue doctorate degree. Because if you meet your Mr. Right in pursuit of a doctor's degree, then congratulations you find the one that can tolerate the craziest part of you; if you are alone in pursuit of a doctor's degree, then congratulations, you don't need any men in you life."

According to Xinhua News, her parents began trying to contact her, ultimately in vain, once they heard about the explosion in Boston. They then contacted the Chinese consulate for assistant.

However, there were still malicious and outrageous comments about her death circulating on China's social media. Some speculated Lu is one of the so-called "second generation of the rich" whose death, they argue, is not worth sympathy.

Some of Lu's friends called those comments ruthless and heartless. In a open letter, Yuan Yuan, one of her college schoolmates, recalled the happy times she spent together with Lu, and called for no more hurting of this fragile and grieving family.

"You are such a beautiful girl bringing happiness to everyone. May pain and hurt away from you and God has gained another angel," Yuan wrote.

Reach Staff Reporter Zhao Chen here.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness