It’s a day of celebration and achievement in the lives of post-secondary students and their loves ones.

For this year’s graduating civil law class at the University of Ottawa, the graduation ceremony was especially emotional.

The late Ted Shen and Karina Joly would have accepted civil law degrees along with their nearly 200 peers in the program.

Instead, Ted’s sister Kelly Shen accepted a degree on her brother’s behalf, and Karina’s mother Johanne Joly received her daughter’s degree.

23-year-old Ten Shen and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Karina Shen were killed in a violent crash last September, driving about 45 kilometres west of their hometown in Montreal.

“My daughter, she was full of life and she enjoyed life a lot,” said Johanne Joly. “I was just thinking of her, I really appreciate the University has done all this for them.”

Ted Shen’s sister said attending the ceremony would have been too difficult for his parents, who now live in Taiwan, but she will bring her brother’s framed degree to them in September, to honour the one year anniversary of Ted's death.

“I can picture him walking on the stage, and I can just feel like he’s here and receiving this,” she said, holding her brother’s degree.  “I’m talking to him, like ‘oh Ted, so now you’re happy you got your diploma,’” she added with smile.

Loved ones remember Ted and Karina as a hard-working and joyful couple, who fell in love at school.

“They were cooking together, studying together; they were like an old couple,” laughed Johanne Joly.

“With Karina, he always had the biggest smile on his face,” Kelly Shen recalled about her brother.

Johanne Joly and Kelly Shen each received standing ovations as they crossed the stage in their loved ones’ honour.

“That was a lot of emotion; I just wanted to be present for the other students that were with Karina and Ted,” said Johanne Joly.

“There has been a void,” said Shaun Steinlauf, a graduate who spoke of his friends Ted and Karina at the ceremony. “It’s a very tight knit community, and it’s almost as if a piece is missing.”

Friends and family say they find comfort knowing Karina and Ted brought so much joy to each other's young lives.

"I’m sure they are together," said Johanne Joly.  "They are taking each other’s hand, looking after us (from) up there."

With files from CTV's Claudia Cautillo