Since I finished my internship with VOICES of September 11th and moved back to campus, I reflect often on my time spent there and what I learned this past summer. Working with an organization that caters to a victim population is difficult because talking about certain aspects of that population can be touchy. I learned about, wrote about, and spoke about death on a daily basis. Because this topic was touched on so frequently within the organization, typical conversations focused on very personal details concerning a family member or loved one’s last moments. It taught me that though tragedy may occur at any moment, life does move on and the world does not stop because of one individual’s personal struggles. In doing research about the intimate details of September 11th, I encountered stories about phone calls from the airplanes seconds before they struck the towers, finding remains or personal tokens among the Ground Zero rubble, and survivors who had to leave their friends and colleagues behind as they escaped the collapse. These details sometimes made me pause in my work and take a deep breath because it was such heavy material. Though I have ultimately decided not to pursue a path in social work or psychology, I learned a lot about trauma and what happens to individuals who experience it.

My time with VOICES, though only three months, will not be soon forgotten. I learned how to work in a small, nonprofit setting as opposed to a corporate office, and I decided I liked that atmosphere a lot. I enjoyed tasks that I could take my own direction with, while also incorporating guidance and insight from a supervisor and peer research assistant. It was just enough independence. Also, after working with VOICES, I feel more up to date on our nation’s history. I was only ten years old when September 11th occurred, so I never got the chance to learn intimate details about what actually happened that day. I also did not know much information about other events we studied – such as the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 or the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois shootings – and thus learned a great deal about surrounding issues involved. The research project I worked on felt a lot like school, which was a comfortable and familiar setting for me, and in working with such a great staff, the entire experience was well-rounded and very educational.

Though I do not foresee myself working with an organization that caters to victims of trauma, I now regard September 11th and its many, extensive consequences in a new light. That day will forever hold a different meaning for me than in the past, as I now feel that I understand just a small but important portion of what happened to affected family members and friends of those in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, or the planes. I hope that with my experience, I can continue to feel grateful for the life I have lived – as it has been fortunate – and that I can continue to recognize that others may experience seemingly impossible obstacles due to a tragedy and that we must reach out and help those people as fellow citizens and neighbors.