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04.17.2013 | BOSTON -- Students placed flowers and running shoes at a memorial at Boston University to those killed in the Boston Marathon bombings. A BU graduate student was among those killed.

(Shira Schoenberg for MassLive.com)

BOSTON — At Boston University on Wednesday, life went on as normal. Students sat outside on one of the first warm spring days, and some rushed to classes. But Ming Chen was struggling to come to terms with the fact that his friend, a fellow graduate student from China, was no longer there.

Lu Lingzi, a BU graduate student studying statistics, was one of three people killed in the Boston Marathon bombings. A friend who was watching the marathon with her was injured.

Chen, 23, knew Lu as the woman who asked him for advice when she was buying a new computer before coming to America in August. He knew her as the Nirvana fan who used a quote from “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in her online profile. “She was optimistic, outgoing, really hardworking,” Chen said. “Suddenly, you learn she passed away. It’s really hard to believe.”

Lu's death was the last to be announced of the three Boston Marathon fatalities. News of her death, first reported by Chinese media, shot through the Chinese community at Boston University – those who knew her and those who didn't. They heard the news from Twitter, Chinese news sources and even their parents.

A statistics graduate student from China who knew Lu said she still cannot accept that Lu is gone. She last saw Lu at Shaw’s Supermarket on Sunday, and heard about her spring break trip to Orlando.

This undated photo provided by Meixu Lu shows Lingzi Lu in Boston. Boston University confirmed Wednesday, April 17, 2013, that Lingzi Lu, who was studying mathematics and statistics at the school and was due to receive her graduate degree in 2015, was among the people killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Meixu Lu)

Boston University is a large campus, with 33,000 students. The marathon route runs right through BU and, with classes cancelled for Patriots Day, students typically flock to the route to watch the runners. The school is no stranger to tragedy: a student died of alcohol consumption in March; in October, the body of a graduate student was found in the Charles River. Yet, this tragedy felt uniquely personal for members of the school’s Chinese community.

“She’s Chinese. I’m Chinese,” said Lucy Yue, a sophomore at the business school.

Yue said after she heard the news, she found pictures of Lu and the friend who was injured online. “Both girls were active, loved traveling,” she said. “We were really sad to lose an active Chinese student on campus.”

Though she did not know the victims personally, Yue said she feels for the family. She knows that many Chinese families only have one child. “Parents pay huge money for their kids to study here,” she said.

Michel Wang, 23, a graduate student in electrical engineering from China, said he feels sorrow for all the innocent lives lost at the marathon and wants to know the reason for the violence. He does not know Lu, but they have mutual friends. “It hurt us more,” he said of the Chinese students.

He added, “She was a normal master’s student having a normal life.”

Jiani Jiang, 19, a freshman from Chengdu, China, said the girl who was injured attended the same high school as she did – though Jiang did not know her well. “It makes me feel homesick,” Jiang said. “A lot of foreign students want to go home now.”

Chen Sun, a freshman chemistry student, said his father, living in China, got in touch with him after seeing on the news that a Chinese student was hurt. “They were like are you OK?” Sun recalled. “I feel really sorry for the parents (of Lu).”

A Tuesday evening vigil at Boston University attracted 500 students. By Wednesday, students had set up a memorial with flowers and a pair of running shoes underneath a statue dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. in front of Marsh Chapel, BU’s Christian chapel. University chaplains and psychologists were offering support to students.

“I think the community of BU responded with faith, courage and resilience,” said the Rev. Dr. Robert Allan Hill, dean of Marsh Chapel. Hill said he opened the chapel as soon as the explosions hit and around 120 people came in to pray, talk or simply find a space to rest or use the bathroom. A university service of healing is scheduled for Wednesday evening.

“Students and faculty responded with real heart and real care,” Hill said.

Jerry Meng, 25, a graduate student in computer science, did not know Lu. He heard Tuesday morning that people in the Chinese community were trying to locate her and learned of her death Tuesday afternoon from news reports. “I feel sad about this whole thing,” he said. “It’s not just China, it’s every community.”

“What else can we say?” Meng said. “Just rest in peace.”