2008 Woodie Awards
Tragic events remembered six years later
Students, faculty, staff share stories about 9/11
By Amy Kelly
Rocket News Editor
Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: News
At 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, many people changed the way they perceive the world. College students, staff and faculty now have more to think about when this day comes back around.
Slippery Rock University senior elementary education major Dana Camberg said that she remembers the day in tenth grade when the towers fell.
"I was in homeroom when we first saw it on the news," she said. "Right then, all of us kind of thought it was a joke and nothing serious, until we saw it again later and were shocked by everything that we were seeing."
Many at the time didn't know what was occurring around them and rushed to their families' side for comfort, love and support.
Residing in Pennsylvania, 22-year-old English major Laura Strange waited alongside her parents and siblings for their family in New Jersey to call and verify their safety.
"When I first heard about it I thought about Orson Welles and his UFO 'sighting' that was told on the radio," she said. "The second thought the popped into my head when I knew it was real was 'where's my family?'"
A feeling of isolation can overtake a person when information and communication are lacking in a time of need. Some panic, some collect themselves and some are just in shock.
"We were all told that we couldn't be on the phone with our friends until all of our family called," Strange said. "We didn't have cell phones at this time, and we all waiting by the phone."
Her family suffered a scare on 9/11 due to the close proximity to the unraveling events, which now make the day stand out in her mind more than ever.
"My mom's childhood friend was killed in the Pennsylvania crash," Strange said. "And one of my cousins was running late for work that day, (and) luckily they were, because they would have been in the subway right underneath the World Trade Center."
According to CNN, 2,973 people died in the events of 9/11, not including the terrorists. This toll was not finalized until June 2004.
Slippery Rock University senior elementary education major Dana Camberg said that she remembers the day in tenth grade when the towers fell.
"I was in homeroom when we first saw it on the news," she said. "Right then, all of us kind of thought it was a joke and nothing serious, until we saw it again later and were shocked by everything that we were seeing."
Many at the time didn't know what was occurring around them and rushed to their families' side for comfort, love and support.
Residing in Pennsylvania, 22-year-old English major Laura Strange waited alongside her parents and siblings for their family in New Jersey to call and verify their safety.
"When I first heard about it I thought about Orson Welles and his UFO 'sighting' that was told on the radio," she said. "The second thought the popped into my head when I knew it was real was 'where's my family?'"
A feeling of isolation can overtake a person when information and communication are lacking in a time of need. Some panic, some collect themselves and some are just in shock.
"We were all told that we couldn't be on the phone with our friends until all of our family called," Strange said. "We didn't have cell phones at this time, and we all waiting by the phone."
Her family suffered a scare on 9/11 due to the close proximity to the unraveling events, which now make the day stand out in her mind more than ever.
"My mom's childhood friend was killed in the Pennsylvania crash," Strange said. "And one of my cousins was running late for work that day, (and) luckily they were, because they would have been in the subway right underneath the World Trade Center."
According to CNN, 2,973 people died in the events of 9/11, not including the terrorists. This toll was not finalized until June 2004.
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