I first heard about the attacks while in my English class, the teacher turned on the TV at about 10:25, shortly before the second tower collapsed. At the time, I thought I was watching a movie or something, and wondered where the other tower was. When it collapsed, the realization suddenly hit me that this was real, and that thousands of people had just died on live television. That is a sobering thought for a 16-year-old to process at the time, and for the rest of the day, we watched the TV, and saw replays of not only the attacks, but of people jumping from the building in an effort to escape, none making it successfully.

It’s one of those experiences that I will carry for the rest of my life, and I can still remember what I was wearing in class as well. My prayers still go out to the families of the victims.