Scholarship Recipient Keeps Lu Lingzi's Memory Alive

BOSTON (CBS) - Yifan Xu never met Lu Lingzi, but she is doing her own part to keep the memory alive. "Every time I think of it my heart is full of appreciation," said the 23-year-old Xu.

She is the first recipient of a scholarship created in Lu Lingzi's memory which Xu calls an honor and a financial help. "She's very talented and very good at her academic works."

Lu Lingzi was one of three victims killed when the bombs went off at the Marathon finish line. She was a promising graduate student in statistics at Boston University, and when the scholarship was established donations poured in from around the world to further academic success.

Yifan Xu does not take it lightly. "At first I was a little stressed, afraid I would do something not quite excellent and that I'll be judged."

She's now a graduate student in economics, hoping to eventually obtain her PhD, and become a researcher in her chosen field. While she saw news accounts of the bombs back home, it was through her own research that she learned one of the victims was from her native China.

"I feel very sorry for this family. It should never have happened. I am so impressed with how strong they are."

Lu Lingzi's parents were at Boston City Hall doing more in her name to give back to the community that has given them support. They donated $10,000 to Boston Police for neighborhood athletic programs. Yifan Xu says the generosity that has come from a senseless act has been humbling.

For her, the name Lu Lingzi will forever be connected to scholarship. "It won't fade through time, people will always remember that."

The Lu Lingzi Memorial Scholarship Fund will award the scholarships on an annual basis to international students enrolled in a full time master's degree program with preference given to those from China.

For more information visit: http://lingzifoundation.org/