Still a student

By Ashley Lowe: I was a freshman in high school, sitting in my science class. Class was interrupted, and the teacher turned on the news. I remember all my fellow students joking about it, not realizing quite yet the severity of the situation.

I had no idea how bad it would get, but all of my extended family lived between New Jersey and Connecticut. When the first tower went down, it was impossible to imagine. When I was younger, I took a long vacation back to visit. We drove right under the towers; I remember staring up at them in awe.

My mother ending up picking me up from school that day in tears. My cousin worked in the World Trade Center, and no one had been able to hear from him yet. We went home and just stared at the TV, waiting, watching. Thankfully, he ended up being safe. He had been running late to his morning meeting. Both his boss and his boss' assistant didn't make it.