The Feather crew ascends from the subway. Drops of rain hit the collecting water of the two reflecting pools at the site of Ground Zero. Sixteen students and six chaperones scan the carved names of those who died on September 11, 2001. On that day, 2,977 individuals met a premature death when 19 terrorists hijacked four airliners and flew them into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a fourth airliner crashing in Pennsylvania after passenger intervention.
Last week in New York, Feather staff had the privilege of visiting the September 11 Memorial and Museum. This experience was impactful for the group in several different ways, with many tears shed by students and adults alike. Students who weren’t alive yet during the attacks were impacted by the sheer loss of human life that occurred. While listening to audio accounts, watching videos, and seeing death in front of their eyes, many couldn’t contain the emotions that rose to the surface.
Alexis Masson, who works as a flight nurse in Fresno, chaperoned the students, including her son, who attended the trip. She was a high school senior at the time of 9/11, and emotion flowed through her while she spoke about her experience.
“I always wanted to be a doctor or do something in the medical field,” Masson said. “And so winding up being a nurse that works on a helicopter that responds to immediate emergencies through the 911 system is, I don’t know if it’s ironic, but I think it’s kind of fitting for what I went through as a senior in high school.”
Seeing the personal belongings, hearing the actual voices, and observing photos turned statistics into something real. Each item belonged to someone – someone who is now no longer with us. The humanization of the victims changed the way many saw the events. The museum helps visitors realize that 9/11 was not just a story, but in reality the destruction of thousands of lives. Mothers, brothers, fathers, sons, daughters and sisters – all missing from families.
Feather adviser and writing coach Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young was a newspaper reporter with The Fresno Bee when the attacks happened on September 11. She remembers being called into the newsroom to report on the events that unfolded that day.
“I remember watching those horrific videos of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers on the news,” Gilmore-Young said. “Then I realized I better get to the newsroom because it was going to be a crazy day for us all. We were immediately sent out to find local connections and to interview people who were affected by the attacks. It was a day I will never forget.”
How could the City of New York, and America as a nation, recover from such a devastating tragedy?
The answer to this question was complicated and nowhere near simple. The deliberate attacks against US citizens were orchestrated by the Islamic terror group, Al-Qaeda, targeting the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and potentially the Capital. Citizens of the United States mourned the loss of those who perished in the attacks.
The one thing the entire nation agreed on was the fact that America should never forget the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. In 2003, a competition began to pick the best memorial design to build at the Ground Zero site. After receiving over 5,000 submissions from over 63 countries, a winner was chosen.
Michael Arad and his design titled “Reflecting Absence” won. The design featured two reflecting pools where the Twin Towers used to stand, with the names of all who died in the attacks on name plates surrounding both pools.
The September 11 Museum features different rooms that all tell vastly complex and emotional stories. While walking through the museum portion, students explored the exhibits filled with artifacts and remnants from the day of the attacks. There were objects recovered from the rubble of the Twin Towers, including cell phones, hats, keys, IDs, and many other personal belongings.
One of the most impactful artifacts among the ruins was an American flag. It was tattered, torn, and coated with dust and ashes, but despite the destruction around it, the flag was still somehow intact.
The walls of the exhibit titled “In Memoriam” were covered floor to ceiling with 2,977 photos of those who perished on September 11. It was a visual expression of the thousands of people, memories and lives, all taken in the span of three hours. The dark emotional alcove featured accounts of individuals whose loved ones had passed on September 11. Their voices were somber, but still joyful in sharing their memories of the people who had meant so much to them.
Austin Kinzle, ‘26, is a second-year journalist and The Feather’s athletics section editor. While walking through the memorial, he had time to recognize the gravity of the tragedy and the importance of student journalists.
“This event has impacted a lot of people’s lives,” Kinzle said. “People have lost loved ones and family members, and this was an important part of history and a tragedy that struck our country. It’s a story that deserves to be told.”
On September 11, 2025, Feather staff visited the California 9/11 Memorial in Clovis. First-year Feather journalist Alex Asatrian, ’27, interviewed the last survivor to escape the South Tower of the World Trade Center, Erik O. Ronningen, who was the keynote speaker at the event. Asatrian was among several students visiting the 9/11 Memorial in New York City for the first time.
“The NYC Memorial and Museum does an excellent job at making you connect with the victims and significance of the attacks,” Asatrian said. “On the other hand, the Clovis 9/11 Memorial also does an excellent job celebrating the lives that were lost, but on a smaller scale compared to NYC.”
The events of September 11 were heartbreaking and tragic, but what emerged from the devastation was beautiful; both the City of New York and the entire United States of America experienced a shared sense of unity. This message was relayed to the students who experienced the 9/11 Memorial and Museum together.
As a country, and as Americans, it is our duty to never forget what happened at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001. America emerged from the rubble of 9/11 as a stronger, more unified nation that strives to never let this happen again.
For more from The Feather, visit Anne Hathaway resurfaces as cinema monopoly and Feature Art – Linocut.
Danielle Arndt • May 11, 2026 at 11:38 pm
Such a powerful piece, Sophia. As someone who has been blessed with visiting this memorial, I can confidently say you encapsulated the beautiful yet mournful heart behind this place of remembrance. Keep up the great work!
Rhonda • Mar 23, 2026 at 9:46 pm
Beautifully written piece about a horrific day in our nation’s history that will live in our hearts and minds. While I’ve not visited the 9/11 Memorial, as a teacher and as someone who remembers that day, I relive my memories of it each year, when I try to make sense of it in order to adequately teach it to my students. It is encouraging to hear that the youth who attended the trip felt a bit of the magnitude of what happened that day. It gives me hope in a world that sometimes seems hopeless.
Excellent work, Sophia!