Spring Break
Students remember, reflect on Sept. 11, 2001
Danielle Efronson
Issue date: 9/11/08 Section: Focus
It may be hard to believe that it has been exactly seven years since that horrific day when two jet airliners were hijacked and flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Thousands of innocent lives were taken by the act of terror and changed by the incomprehensible loss. To honor those it affected, it is important to reflect on the impact the event had on the United States and its people.
When asked to look back on the moment they heard the Twin Towers had been attacked, many UConn students replied that they were confused and shocked.
Victoria Bjorklund, a 1st-semester exploratory major, was sitting in her sixth-grade social studies class when she heard the news and "didn't know how big of a deal it was; didn't understand that it was a national crisis." Looking back, Bjorklund says she thinks about it sometimes but believes "it affected some people more than others."
Brett Kernan, a 3rd-semester communications major, felt the effects of the attack profoundly, as his uncle worked in one of the Twin Towers.
"I was really worried when I found out because I knew my uncle worked on the 80th floor in one of the buildings," Kernan said. "It turned out that he worked in the second building and was on a ferry heading home when he saw the second building collapse."
Fortunately, Kernan's uncle escaped in time, but about 2,980 others were not as lucky. To honor and remember the deceased, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum Foundation is raising money to build both a memorial and a museum at Ground Zero. If the plan becomes a reality, two pools will be built in the footprints of the Twin Towers with massive waterfalls cascading down the sides. Around the edges of the pools, the names of the people killed in the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, as well as the February 1993 World Trade Center bombing will be inscribed. The memorial as a whole is meant to symbolize and inspire reflection of those who perished. Going further, the museum will reveal some personal stories of the victims and will bring visitors closer to the tragedy. Not all of Ground Zero will be built into a memorial; the Freedom Tower, three other grand WTC towers, retail development, the WTC Transportation Hub and a performing arts center will also be built on the current ruins.
When asked to look back on the moment they heard the Twin Towers had been attacked, many UConn students replied that they were confused and shocked.
Victoria Bjorklund, a 1st-semester exploratory major, was sitting in her sixth-grade social studies class when she heard the news and "didn't know how big of a deal it was; didn't understand that it was a national crisis." Looking back, Bjorklund says she thinks about it sometimes but believes "it affected some people more than others."
Brett Kernan, a 3rd-semester communications major, felt the effects of the attack profoundly, as his uncle worked in one of the Twin Towers.
"I was really worried when I found out because I knew my uncle worked on the 80th floor in one of the buildings," Kernan said. "It turned out that he worked in the second building and was on a ferry heading home when he saw the second building collapse."
Fortunately, Kernan's uncle escaped in time, but about 2,980 others were not as lucky. To honor and remember the deceased, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum Foundation is raising money to build both a memorial and a museum at Ground Zero. If the plan becomes a reality, two pools will be built in the footprints of the Twin Towers with massive waterfalls cascading down the sides. Around the edges of the pools, the names of the people killed in the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, as well as the February 1993 World Trade Center bombing will be inscribed. The memorial as a whole is meant to symbolize and inspire reflection of those who perished. Going further, the museum will reveal some personal stories of the victims and will bring visitors closer to the tragedy. Not all of Ground Zero will be built into a memorial; the Freedom Tower, three other grand WTC towers, retail development, the WTC Transportation Hub and a performing arts center will also be built on the current ruins.
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