well known figure in the school of mathematics and statistics where she was studying. >> i admitted her, i recruited her, i welcomed her, i advised her and i taught her. so i interacted with her on so many different levels. >> reporter: her professor said she was an excellent student who had big dreams to study in the u.s. so she could go back to china as a business woman. how hard is that to know what a bright future she had and that's been taken away from her? >> i can't say how hard it is. i mean it's completely senseless. it's -- there's no rhyme or reason to it. it's such a waste. it's such a waste of all the time and energy and dreams that she had and we'll never know what she could have done. >> reporter: dreams cut short monday on what was supposed to be a day of fun watching the boston marathon with two friends. she was standing at the finish line when two bombs went off. her roommate posts this message saying she's still not home yet