Cecchettin had been due to graduate just a few days after being stabbed to death by her University of Padua classmate.
The case caused widespread dismay in Italy partly because of the brutality of the killing and also because of the young age of the perpetrator and victim.
“You have created a tear in our consciences, mine first of all,” said her father Gino Cecchettin at the ceremony at Palazzo del Bo in Padua.
“You will always be in the hearts of those who loved and knew you, and you will always be in our hearts.”
Speaking at her funeral in December, Gino Cecchettin said he hoped her death might mark a turning point in the fight against gender-based violence in Italy.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who had already committed to tackling the issue, subsequently sent a circular letter to schools inviting them to get pupils to reflect on his words.
ANSA
