“I was in tenth or 11th grade, and I remember they rolled in a cart with a boxy TV. My teacher made an announcement, and then they had a whole school announcement. They basically said that big things were happening and that as students, we deserved to know. So, we all watched, and it was very scary. I remember thinking and wishing I wasn’t in high school when this happened, because everyone started freaking out. Everyone kept saying that Omaha was next, because we have SAC (Strategic Air Command) here, and that they were going to hit us next. Then people started saying really mean things about some people deserving it, and people who have a certain skin color should never be here in the first place. And I just felt like I knew that day people were going to be talking about this for a really long time. Even right then, the things they were saying were really disrespectful and not paying attention to the big picture or what this was really going to mean. I wish I had a better reflection and better memory about what really happened, and how people would be impacted beyond the crazy kids in high school.”

“I was in catholic school at the time, and they actually did not tell us in school. I didn’t hear until after football practice. I remember I was at Udder Delights, and I remember my mom saying they struck the twin towers. As a fifth grader, I didn’t know what that was, really, but I remember just the sadness that you could feel across all the adults. I have a very vivid memory of hearing about it, and the somber energy of everyone around. It was one of those moments as a kid. It’s a strange and eerie feeling where you know something big has happened that’s a little bit beyond comprehension.” 

“I was still living in Arizona at the time. Most of my family was still on the East Coast at the time, and that’s actually part of why we moved back. My dad was flying that day. My mom kept a voicemail he left when he landed in Dallas. I was in high school that day, and the tenor was very different in Arizona. It was centered on revenge, which was a little scary.”