Editor’s Note

Students currently enrolled at Tuscarora were not alive when the attacks of September 11th took place in 2001, but their families, teachers, and other loved ones have experiences worth remembering. In order to ‘Never Forget’, the Titan Times staff has been working on a series of stories about people who are members (directly or indirectly with the Titan community). Our intention is to give those people a voice so that we can preserve their memories and so that we truly never forget the impact the tragedy of 09-11-2001 had on all Americans.

Ms. Kremnitzer

Co-Adviser for the Titan Times

If you have a story you would like to share, please email [email protected]

Coming to America the Same Year of 9/11

September 11,  2001 was the day of four coordinated attacks towards the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The attacks overall killed 2,977 people and was a very tragic day for the United States. Many grieve and think about 9/11 till this day, nineteen years later. Although most High School students were not around when 9/11 occured, parents of the students were in various situations – school, jobs, running errands, etc.  Each memory serves as one to unify the experience of all Americans. 

My mom, Evelyn Rosa, was only 17 years old when she came to the United States with her sister that July. At the time, she was living in Silver Spring, Maryland and cleaning houses with her mom for a living. She moved to the United States because her mother had been living in the states for a few years. She had just made enough money for my mom and aunt to move here with her. My mom was raised by her Uncle and Aunt in El Salvador, so she wasn’t very close to her mom. Although my mom was 17, she didn’t go to normal high school. She instead went to school for English classes.

She was in her English class the day of the terrorist attacks. Much like other people, she didn’t understand what was going on and was very confused. She said,  “We didn’t know what was really going on until a few minutes after the first Twin Tower fell.” She remembers crying from the shock and feeling scared for the people who were in those towers. She wasn’t personally affected since she didn’t know anyone that was in the attacks but it did make her think about a lot. 

A lot of people’s view of the United States changed around the time of the attacks. Many people around this time had this idea of the United States being this great and safe country, and so I wondered if this big attack changed anything. Evenyln said she did view America differently, but it was more of a reminder: “It was a reminder to me that anything like that can happen anywhere at any given time. No place is 100% safe.” She says it’s a very cruel reminder to thank God we are here today. She continued to pray for the families who lost someone on that day for months alongside  my grandma and aunt. “It was a very scary wake up call,” she reflected.