Dubai crash victims remembered at university graduation

Northeastern University students, Victoria McGrath and Priscilla Perez Torres were among four killed in a Ferrari crash this year. They got posthumous degrees.

University students, who died in a tragic car crash in Dubai earlier this year, were honored by their school at the graduation ceremony.

Northeastern University students, Victoria McGrath and fellow Boston student Priscilla Perez Torres were among four killed in a Ferrari crash during a private trip to Dubai earlier this year.

Paying tribute to the late students, university's President Joseph E. Aoun, he looked out at the thousands of stu­dents set to grad­uate from North­eastern Uni­ver­sity on Friday, pointed out empty seats where two mem­bers of the North­eastern com­mu­nity should've been and said:

"Your class­mates Vic­toria McGrath and Priscilla Perez Torres earned their degrees just like each one of you. Today their fam­i­lies will receive their diplomas."

An article posted by boston.com recounts the unfortunate tragedy, statements by McGrath's parents and the tribute paid by the university president.

McGrath and Torres were killed in March during a spring break trip in Dubai. They were on their way to Bali, and the Ferrari they were riding in crashed into a pole. Two men, including the driver of the Ferrari, were also killed.

McGrath had cheated death when Chechen brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev planted bombs at the April 15, 2013, Boston Marathon. She had received severe injuries following the bombings.

Described as "vibrant, beloved members" of the Northeastern Community, university president had said in a statement, after the accident, that their demise will leave a "grievous absence in our community and in our hearts".

Killed alongside McGrath and Torres in the fatal crash was Canadian boxer Cody Nixon and friend James Portuondo.

After her death, her parents Jill and James McGrath asked Boston to remember her "rare empathy."

"There are any number of ways that one can respond to tragedy, and the majority of the options can be destructive,'' they had said in a statement. "What Victoria taught all of us was how, against the odds, to respond with determination, humility, and not a single note of bitterness.''

As the crowd sat in silence, Aoun asked them to remember their classmates.

"Victoria and Priscilla are with us in spirit," he said. "They will always remain members of the Northeastern family."

The crash

Director of the General Department of Traffic of Dubai Police Col. Saif Muhair Al Mazroui said the incident took place at 12.40pm on Al Sarayat Road in Jumeriah Lakes Towers.

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