[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Fifteen years before a Boston University student would post #NeverForget on Facebook, their parents were fixed to living room TV sets, watching in horror as the twin towers collapsed and wondering if any place in the world is safe.
“Students of the millennial generation are really living with the fallout from 9/11,” said John Carroll, a professor in the College of Communication. “The security measures that were implemented after the attack made the controlled and restrictive society we live in now, in terms of access to virtually any public space.”
As students walk down Commonwealth Avenue today, one can’t help but wonder — how did the attacks change the world as they know it?
Here’s where some BU students were on 9/11 and what they remember from that day:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gmaps link=”#E-8_JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSUyRm1hcHMlMkZkJTJGdSUyRjElMkZlbWJlZCUzRm1pZCUzRDEtWEtTbDhJQm9FNWlYbTRSR3dkTm1MeUw3M28lMjIlMjB3aWR0aCUzRCUyMjY0MCUyMiUyMGhlaWdodCUzRCUyMjQ4MCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”118082″ img_size=”large” style=”vc_box_shadow”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Jordan Hirsch, COM senior” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Arimo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”“It was like the world stopped.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_custom_heading text=”“I was in first grade, and my dad worked in the city. That day we were watching the news and waiting for my dad to come home. He came home really late, and my mom was sobbing. It was like the world stopped. My mom actually used to work close to the World Trade Center, so it really hit home for her.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Wenfeng Su, first-year student in the School of Law” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Arimo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”“I wanted to know if my country is safe.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_custom_heading text=”“I was in bed when my dad woke me up … I was, at first, panicking and a little scared because I thought things like this were so far from us. I didn’t know it could be so real. It sort of forced me to learn about these different cultures. I wanted to know more about the attackers and whose threat it was. I wanted to know if my country is safe. At that time, the United States was very far from me. I went to the museum last year, and it was kind of heartbreaking, listening to the phone calls. I tried to imagine as if it was me leaving a message for my parents. I knew nothing (before going to the museum), and it was quite emotional, even though I was completely unrelated to any of (the victims).“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”118083″ img_size=”large” style=”vc_box_shadow”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”118081″ img_size=”large” style=”vc_box_shadow”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Lydia Melnikov, freshman in the College of Fine Arts” google_fonts=”font_family:Arimo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”“I remember my parents telling me that they didn’t think (the attacks were) real, that they thought it was a movie.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_custom_heading text=”“I really don’t think that I fully understood the events until a couple of years ago when I was in New York and went to the memorial. I guess we’re very desensitized to violence and acts of terror. Seeing the impacts first-hand makes me realize that I, personally, need to contribute to better relations in the world.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Brian Tran, fourth-year graduate student in the Metropolitan College” google_fonts=”font_family:Arimo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”“My dad has lost a country, so he understands what it would feel like.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_custom_heading text=”“My family is from Vietnam, and my dad actually fought in the Vietnam War, so war has always had such a big influence on my life. A lot of the discussions we had later on the night of 9/11 were about how this could be the big thing, how this could potentially trigger World War III. It wasn’t something to take lightly. It’s hard for Americans to appreciate what they have until it’s gone, so 9/11 was a big hit for this country. My dad has lost a country, so he understands what it would feel like.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”118080″ img_size=”large” style=”vc_box_shadow”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”118078″ img_size=”large” style=”vc_box_shadow”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Inna Mankevych, sophomore in the Questrom School of Business” google_fonts=”font_family:Arimo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”“…when you’re not living in the country at the time, it’s a lot less real.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_custom_heading 1=”attack” text=”“(The attack) was a really big deal, and it was all over the news. I wasn’t really aware because I was so young. And when you’re not living in the country at the time, it’s a lot less real. I remember just seeing it all over the news. My parents were actually working in New York, and it was just a panic to get in touch with them and to figure out where they were. The (phone) lines were down, so it took maybe three days to talk to them. It was just a rude awakening. Besides wondering if my parents were OK, it was a terrifying thing. One of my friends lost his father in the attack, and it was a scary moment. His dad was a firefighter.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Max Rydqvist, first-year graduate student in CFA” google_fonts=”font_family:Arimo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”“It was horrifying obviously, but being 4,000 miles away was very different.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_custom_heading text=”“I remember seeing it on TV. It was a little different experience over there because it wasn’t talked about as much. The talk died out pretty quickly. My school in Norway did go visit the American Embassy a little while after (9/11) happened, and they put up a bunch of flags in honor of all of the people who died during the attacks. There was a lot of respect there for the states. It was horrifying obviously, but being 4,000 miles away was very different. It wasn’t the same kind of atmosphere as it would’ve been in New York. There was a lot of sympathy but it’s not like Norway was in a state of crisis.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”118079″ img_size=”large” style=”vc_box_shadow”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”118077″ img_size=”large” style=”vc_box_shadow”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Krysta Hartley, senior in the College of Arts and Sciences” google_fonts=”font_family:Arimo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”“My father was a firefighter in the city when 9/11 happened.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_custom_heading text=”“My father was a firefighter in the city when 9/11 happened. He didn’t come home for a couple of days. He just stayed there and looked through the rubble. It took a while for him to talk about it — the story that he always tells is that the worst place he ever slept was at ground zero on a rock during his breaks … I remember that, in second grade, I had a really big school play, and my dad couldn’t come because he had to go into surgery from effects from 9/11. He also, up until 2007, did special recovery work where he sorted through all of the rubble. He had sort of a reaction down there, then he had to leave and eventually had to retire because he wouldn’t do that work anymore.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”“I was in between the first and second grade, so I didn’t fully understand what was going on. I was in my own little world, and my parents didn’t really tell me everything. I think now, looking back, I’m very grateful for the fact that they did that.“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Photos by Maddie Malhotra, page design by Shivani Patel” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:16|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
