“I remember that my mom’s friend’s dad was a fireman and she was freaking out and they hadn’t heard from him. They heard from him two days later — he was trapped in the rubble.”

-Jessye Spitler, Creative writing senior

“It was so far away from where I was; I didn’t feel like it was real.”

-Erin McRoy, Freshman studying English

“At that age I didn’t understand … I got pulled out halfway through school.

-David Ramirez, Mechanical engineering sophomore

“I was 10 when it happened. I didn’t really understand the severity of it until I saw people jumping out the buildings on the news.”

— Albert Casella, archeology junior

“September 11 was a huge event. We had to focus on what we witnessed and what we could control, and that was the campus reaction to it. In a newsroom, the bullets are flying pretty fast and we needed to figure out what we can do and how to make things happen. One of the things that attracts us to journalism is that we like to be there when things happen. I had to remind myself that not everyone is wired that way.”

-Ryan Finley, Former editor in chief of the Arizona Daily Wildcat

“I was very proud of how the campus responded. I was very proud of the religious leadership and how they came together so quickly and the commitment of coming together so closely. We needed to be clear that Muslim students, faculty and staff were not to be treated as terrorists, but as members of our community. That kind of crisis called for immediate public presence of the president, and the campus responded beautifully. The campus demonstrated its cohesiveness and common sense.”

-Peter Likins, Former UA president

“I was going to school. I was in third grade. I didn’t know what was going on because we didn’t watch the news. I don’t think my parents would have told me anyway.”

-Shannon Winans, Veterinary science freshman

“I was in sixth grade in class when I heard about it. Being a Muslim didn’t help. Everyone started making assumptions I was a terrorist.”

-Ahmed El Nounw, physiology senior

“I was getting ready for school in fifth grade. I was confused. I went to school and everyone had an idea of what was going on. We were scared.”

-Erica Goudy, psychology sophomore

“It was my sister’s birthday. I was really happy and then my dad called and told us to turn on the TV. Then I saw it. I was terrified. My dad works in San Francisco and I thought it could be next.”

— Charlie Butterfield, psychology freshman

“At the time I didn’t know much about the tragedy because I was in second grade, but now I watch the news each anniversary and realize how much more it means.”

-Sarah Anderson, Music freshman

“I remember how strange it was that my parents had the TV on early in the morning, and I didn’t understand. Our house was silent for an hour. I stopped everything I was doing to sit down and watch.”

-Kyle Edwards, Saxophone performance sophomore

“I remember being asleep when it happened and that my parents were acting super weird that morning. They didn’t tell me what happened right away and I didn’t know why. At the time, my dad was doing work outside of New York and flying there weekly from Phoenix. The tragedy is really too sad to commemorate for me.”

-Shelby Lands, Engineering freshman

“I remember sitting in my fourth-grade class, and every single channel showed the two towers on fire. As I grow up, I understand more and more about the tragedy that happened.”

-Alex Caswell, Business management senior

“My geography teacher talked about the global implications (of 9/11) and said that it was going to change how America faced terrorism as an organizational threat. He was right. I take the day for prayer.”

-Ryan Kleinman, Musical theater sophomore

“When I went to school, our classroom was the only one with cable. Half the school came in to watch, and I didn’t know what to do. I think the change in security has made people feel more secure, but sometimes TSA is viewed as a nuisance. In general, our country is better for more security.”

-Ben Elias, Pre-architecture sophomore