BU Posthumously Honors Two Students, Menino and Morgan Freeman at Commencement

At Boston University's commencement ceremony on Sunday, the university honored two students who died this year, just a few months before their graduation.

Graduate student Lu Lingzi, who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombing and Binland Lee, who died in an off-campus apartment fire, were both posthumously honored at Sunday’s graduation ceremony.

Boston University also honored Zhou Danling, who was friends with Lu Lingzi and was injured in the marathon bombing.

Nearly 6,700 graduates and almost 20,000 guests attended the university's 140th commencement at Nickerson Field. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino was awarded a Boston University Medallion and actor Morgan Freeman was presented an honorary degree. Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, delivered the university's commencement address. 

Kopp encouraged graduates to set out on a path to change the world. 

“The people who have most changed the way we see the world and live our lives – from Einstein to Steve Jobs – all understood that innovation is not primarily about coming up with new ideas," she said. "It’s about connecting good ideas to human needs -- whether that means borrowing and adapting solutions that already exist or devising new ones."

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