09/12/2026
September 11th brings back so many memories. Some of them are happy ones.
When I was younger, my uncle worked for Dean Witter, which later became Morgan Stanley, in the World Trade Center. Every year, I looked forward to going to the Christmas party there. At the time, those buildings were simply part of my childhood. I never imagined how much they would eventually come to represent.
Then came September 11, 2001.
I was a sophomore in college when my sister called and woke me up. She told me a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I turned on the television just in time to watch the second plane hit.
My aunt and uncle both worked in the Trade Center. My dad was working in the city too.
And for a period of time, we didn’t know where anyone was.
I still remember that fear. I remember watching the television. I remember the uncertainty and trying to understand how something like this could possibly be happening.
But I also remember what came afterward.
I remember American flags everywhere. I remember the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The first responders who ran toward danger. The strangers helping strangers. The incredible acts of courage and kindness.
And I remember how our country came together.
Less than a year later, I started my first internship with Morgan Stanley. I remember walking those few blocks to where the World Trade Center had once stood and being overwhelmed by the emotions of standing there.
Twenty-five years later, I can still picture that morning. And I can still remember the country in the days that followed.
Today, I hope we remember all of it.
The innocent lives that were taken. The families whose lives changed forever. The first responders and heroes. The fear and heartbreak.
But also the humanity that followed.
For a moment, our differences didn’t seem quite so important. We were simply Americans taking care of one another.
May we never forget the lives we lost.
And may we never forget what it looked like when we came together. 🇺🇸
