Disclaimer- this post involves sensitive material and may bring back sad memories... This is not meant to offend or hurt anyone...
It was a Tuesday morning like any other in Maryland.... I woke up ate my breakfast and my dad dropped me off at Arundel Middle School. I was in 7th grade. Until that day the only thing populating my mind was the previous nights episode of WWE Monday night raw and what my friends and I would do after school. I walked into school the same as I did every morning and say down in my class.
When the first of the attacks occurred I was in my language arts class. This was before smart phones and I had no idea at that moment as we read our books the world around us was changing forever. In the class no one seemed to know what was going on.
Lunch time came around 1130... By that time I assumed the adults were scrambling around to think of a reaction plan. At the time I was at lunch still oblivious to what was going on.
Close to the end of lunch I left the cafeteria to take my afternoon mess. Walking past the office I saw a multitude of parents looking very worried. I instantly thought there was a secret parent teacher conference that I didn't know about. I thought anything but the horrible truth that had taken place in the world.....
After taking my afternoon meds I went back to the cafeteria to wait for our teacher.
I remember being in mr. Kicklighters' 7th grade science class. The numbers of the students in my class one by one began to shrink. I remember there was a girl crying who sat near me. I remember my normally cheerful energetic science teacher as being somber.... Something was clearly wrong!
After about a half hour my name was called over the intercom to grab my belongings because my grandfather was at the school to pick me up. Still confused I walked to the main office where he was waiting. He didn't look happy... He looked worried beyond belief.
We went out to his car and got in. He informed me that something terrible had happened.... The pentagon and the twin towers had been attacked.... It was insane. The thought was earth shattering. I couldn't imagine an attack... But grandpas radio which is usually tuned to 95.9 known for its nostalgic old school r&b jams sounded more like a war front radio broadcast...
We reached my little sisters school. They were in second grade at the time. I remember when we picked them up I was scared. I kind of told them what happened but I had no idea what actually was going on.
We got to my grandparents house and that's when I saw it on every single channel... Burning buildings, people crying, ashes thoroughly NYC.... It looked like nothing I had ever seen. I began to cry watching the horrific scenes. I was twelve years old watching something that looked like a scene out of a movie. It looked like the world was coming to an end.....
9/11 shaped my life. After those events the department of homeland security was created and once I got in college in 2007 I pursued a degree in homeland security management and criminal justice. I wanted to prevent future attacks from hurting innocent people.
My career goals are still the same... Who I am today was shaped by those events....I am so thankful to the men and women who work to protect this country, the first responders and armed forces... I'm so grateful for their sacrifice.
That was truly a day none of us will ever forget....
The artist-
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