Spring Break
Reflecting on a day forever frozen in time
The Commuter
Issue date: 10/22/08 Section: Campus Life
A cool, faint breeze in NCC's quad barely ruffled the flags that hung half-staff as storm clouds grew thick and heavy.
Students recalled on the seventh anniversary of Sept. 11 how their junior high school experience changed forever that day.
Some schools were not allowed to tell their students what had occurred, they said.
Students knew nothing about what had happened except for what they had overheard from their classmates.
"Three thousand people died in one day," said Andy Russell, a second-year Radio/TV student.
Several NCC students were living near the Twin Towers on the day of the attacks. They remember watching black clouds obscure the Manhattan skyline from their classroom windows.
"Whenever I go back to New York it's all around. … It's something you can't forget and don't want to forget," said Gerard Pietrofere, a second-year Eeducation major who lived in Queens at the time of the attacks.
Second-year Radio/TV major Seth Klinger was in eighth grade at Philip F. Lauer Middle School in Wilson Borough when the planes hit.
"I wasn't sure how to feel about it," he said. "I remember being scared that a lot more was going to happen."
Dami Adebesin, a third-year Nursing major, lived in the Bronx at the time.
"I remember trying to call my dad. He worked a mile and a half away and he saw the towers fall," Abebesin said.
The tragedy also affected students who lived abroad.
"Every major news network had it on. It was crazy," said third-year math and Physics major Jon Varela, who lived in Honduras at the time.
The tragic events triggered a chain reaction. These included wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the passage of the Patriot Act, and the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security.
Students say they believe that America has changed on a more personal level.
"America has changed., I think everyone is more suspicious and not as trusting," said Barbara Sheehan, a first-year student.
"A whole generation lost their innocence."
Students in Journalism 201 (Features Writing) contributed to this story.
Students recalled on the seventh anniversary of Sept. 11 how their junior high school experience changed forever that day.
Some schools were not allowed to tell their students what had occurred, they said.
Students knew nothing about what had happened except for what they had overheard from their classmates.
"Three thousand people died in one day," said Andy Russell, a second-year Radio/TV student.
Several NCC students were living near the Twin Towers on the day of the attacks. They remember watching black clouds obscure the Manhattan skyline from their classroom windows.
"Whenever I go back to New York it's all around. … It's something you can't forget and don't want to forget," said Gerard Pietrofere, a second-year Eeducation major who lived in Queens at the time of the attacks.
Second-year Radio/TV major Seth Klinger was in eighth grade at Philip F. Lauer Middle School in Wilson Borough when the planes hit.
"I wasn't sure how to feel about it," he said. "I remember being scared that a lot more was going to happen."
Dami Adebesin, a third-year Nursing major, lived in the Bronx at the time.
"I remember trying to call my dad. He worked a mile and a half away and he saw the towers fall," Abebesin said.
The tragedy also affected students who lived abroad.
"Every major news network had it on. It was crazy," said third-year math and Physics major Jon Varela, who lived in Honduras at the time.
The tragic events triggered a chain reaction. These included wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the passage of the Patriot Act, and the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security.
Students say they believe that America has changed on a more personal level.
"America has changed., I think everyone is more suspicious and not as trusting," said Barbara Sheehan, a first-year student.
"A whole generation lost their innocence."
Students in Journalism 201 (Features Writing) contributed to this story.
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