lc_story64.xml

lc_story64.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-12-11

My strongest memory of the day was at the DOubletree Hotel Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia--just feet from the Pentagon. The burning smell coming through the building's ventilation system was unavoidable for a few days. The atmosphere was somber and people were in huddles discussing whether or not anyone knew of persons who may have been in either the Pentagon or in New York.

There were several persons in the hotel on business and many of whom flew into the area. Planes were grounded and people were trying to get out of that hotel. The sight of frustration was disturbing to me. However, the hotel was most accommodating and very generous to everyone there.

I graduated from Howard University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences with a Master of Arts degree in May of 2001. Obviously, I was excited and did not take looking for a job as serious as I should have during the summer. Having whisked through undergraduate education and then a graduate degree with no real job experience posed problems for me. I needed concrete job experience just to find a decent job, especially in D. C.

Subsequently, I took a job that would give me access to the city and enough income to support me as I began the job hunt that is normal after such events in the lives of young adults in similar situations. Soon after, there was September 11th.

The night of the attacks, I remember sitting in a chair at the Doubletree Hotel Crystal City located on Army Navy Drive in Arlington, Virginia and just feet away from the Pentagon. I'd taken a job with a local university's Student Affairs and Residence Life division. That Fall semester the university experienced a sharp rise in numbers and ended up housing nearly 300 students in the hotel. I was a live-in counselor supporting the Residence Life division and assigned to assist the students locally on behalf of the university. There was a small team persons assigned to the situation by the university, so I wasn't alone.

I remember feeling so overwhelmed of the situation. There I was, helpless for several students who had questions, helpless to many parents who had concerns of safety regarding their children, and helpless to countless faces in the hotel who were wondering what had happened that day. It was awful.

My plans to live a little, to take a break, to conveniently look for a job...in the appropriate style had come to a terrible hault. Immediate thoughts of the poverty entered my head. Job cuts were far from reality, but in the back of my mind and the possibility of finding a job elsewhere was very bleek. There was a lot on my mind.

September 11th changed my life because the same job I had during the attacks, I still have. Jobs have been scarce and organizations have shaved, trimmed and cut where necessary making it hard for a person with little experience, yet two academic degrees to compete. This has not been a time of convenience or to waste resources. Nor has this been a time to chance for any organizations that would offers jobs for a person with my credentials. It has concretely impacted my outlook.

I have become increasingly timid and cautious of this area of the country. Living in that location and near the airport (Reagan-National) has affected me as well. I have never been a fan of flying, going up and coming down. Before, I few quite often. Now, I have not flown since the Summer of 2001.

Personally, September 11, 2001 changed me forever.