From Bill Lindelof:
A UC Berkeley student who was killed outside an Oak Park barbershop will be honored today with a "memorial certificate" in lieu of a degree in recognition of the young man's academic accomplishments.
Rodrigo "Rod" Rodriguez Jr. (right photo), 21, was killed in Sept. 16, 2007, outside the barbershop where he worked as an apprentice barber while on break from UC Berkeley, which he attended on a prestigious Buck scholarship.
Police say the killers were targeting someone else for whom they mistook Rodriguez. One man has been arrested in connection with the homicide.
University of California regents will honor Rodriguez today in a ceremony on campus at UC Berkeley's School of Business. His parents will be present.
H. Faye Lawson, student advocate of Student Services at the Haas School of Business, said Rodriguez was a dynamic student who left an indelible memory of his strength and optimism with people he met.
"His legacy as a student and as a young man compelled this recognition of his work toward a Berkeley degree," Lawson said in a statement.
In addition to the recognition from the regents, his parents will receive an award from the University of Rochester. Rodriguez earned the Rochester award in 2002 when he was a student enrolled in the Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Liberal Arts (MESL) Honors Academy at the former Sacramento High School. He never received the actual award and certificate.
The award recognizes academic and extracurricular achievement, according to Jean Crowder, MESL director.


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