The Day That Changed America

It seems surreal that it was 10 years ago that terrorists hijacked 4 planes all aimed at damaging America in ways still unknown. It was and is a moment that changed me. In that moment, my safe little world changed. Fresh off a year abroad, the world had never seemed smaller. Before 9/11, the world was a place ripe for exploration. It was a place I longed to travel extensively, and I flourished in the idea that I was a citizen of the world. In the year I spent abroad, I felt just as at home in Berlin, Freiburg, and Amsterdam, as I did in Ann Arbor, South Bend, and Lexington. I was a citizen of the world.

But, the events of September 11th changed that idea for me. I was never more aware of my status as an American, as I was that day. Watching the world's capitals react, I became inherently aware that I would always be an American to the rest of the world, and I was grateful. Grateful that I was born in a country that valued freedom and democracy. Born in a country where I had opportunities for fulfilling work, for an education, and for the rights to pursue my own happiness. I am eternally grateful for this shift in my own truth.

So, on this, the 10th anniversary, I sit and remember the moment my world changed. I will never forgot the call I received from my roommate exclaiming that classes at UM were canceled because we were being attacked, I will never forget the fighter jets circling Ann Arbor for days, I will never forget the fear that this could happen again, and maybe this time closer to home.

Today, I lift up those who lost their lives on September 11th, and the loved ones they left behind. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.