Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula, killed by speeding police car, to be awarded master's degree posthumously

Seattle, September 16

Jaahnavi Kandula, the Indian student who was struck and killed by a speeding police car here, will be awarded her master’s degree posthumously, the Chancellor of Northeastern University has announced, hoping that the ongoing probe will bring a measure of justice and accountability.

Kandula, a 23-year-old student at Washington State’s Northeastern University, was struck at a pedestrian crossing on January 23.

Kandula was set to graduate the coming December with a master’s degree in information systems from the Seattle campus of Northeastern University. Her family said she was working towards supporting her mother in India.

Saddened by Kandula’s death, Kenneth W Henderson, Chancellor of Northeastern University, in a statement issued on the university’s official Facebook page on Friday said, “Her loss will be felt deeply by students, staff and faculty. The university plans to award Jaahnavi her degree posthumously and present it to her family.

“In the days following this tragedy, our Seattle campus community joined together in a vigil of remembrance and solidarity. At the time, our dean Dave Thurman wrote of Jaahnavi’s tremendous engagement, noting that all on our Seattle campus, “loved her bubbly laugh, sense of humour and infectious personality,” the post read.