25 Years Later, 9/11 Brings the Mason Community Together in Service
By: Tiffany Boggs, Mason Votes Contributor
On September 11, 2001, America changed forever. Twenty‑five years ago, the United States endured one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in our history, cutting short thousands of innocent lives. Many students and young Americans of today were not born when the attacks took place, while older adults still remember every detail like it was yesterday. Even a quarter century after the events of that fateful Tuesday, the aftermath of the tragedy continues to ripple through our society in ways both good and bad.
Check out today’s post by Fourth Estate to see how Mason’s official student newspaper covered the events of 9/11 just a few days after the attack.
But whether you remember watching 9/11 unfold in real time or learned about it in history class, the anniversaries of September 11th offer us all an opportunity to come together as a community to honor those we lost and reflect on how it changed us.
Over the years, Mason has observed 9/11 by holding candlelight vigils and asking students to share memories in their own words, but the 9/11 Day of Service has endured as a positive tradition when the Mason Nation can remember and give back at the same time.
Mason Votes attended the 14th Annual 9/11 Day of Service on Thursday, September 10, 2026 and spoke with attendees to get their thoughts on the 25th anniversary.
What does the Mason community remember after 25 years?
Many faculty were young adults and teenagers on 9/11; they shared their personal experiences and how it felt 25 years ago.
“It’s a day I’ll never forget,” said Christine Landoll, Professor of Practice and Director of Business Engagement at the Costello College of Business. Landoll worked in New York City’s Midtown in 2001 and recalled the chaos of everyone trying to get home while evacuating the city amidst the dust and smoke that engulfed lower Manhattan. She also remembered the fear she felt trying to get in touch with her mother who was working in the White House while the target of Flight 93 (that later crashed in Pennsylvania) was still unknown. “It was just a humbling, sad, impactful day,” she said.
“I was incredibly frightened that day,” said Joshua Braaten, Assistant Director of Student Success Coaching. Braaten was in middle school in 2001. “I remember being in Northern Virginia, there were a lot of families that were picking up my peers from school, so it was rather chaotic,” he said. He recalled riding the bus home seeing a fighter jet flying across the sky heading towards Washington, D.C. “I remember turning on the TV when I got home and seeing a lot of hurt, and negativity, and death in New York and Arlington,” Braaten said.
Some faculty members who vividly remember that day carry deep memories that they will never forget; reflecting on 9/11 brought strong emotions to the surface.
University Life Project Manager Susan Pilley was a junior in high school on 9/11. “My husband is an army veteran. He actually did three deployments; went to Iraq, went into Afghanistan,” she said with a slight redness in her eyes and cracking in her voice. “It’s very personal to me for all the things he did for service and all the people that we’ve lost.”
“I strongly believe that 9/11 should be a day of service and bring everyone out together to just remember and take that moment of silence. And really think about how we can help others and serve others at our own capacity,” Pilley said.
The 25th anniversary of 9/11 offers us all an opportunity to honor those we lost, celebrate the heroism of the first responders, and reflect on how traumatic events of the past are still shaping our future. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, young or old, liberal or conservative, the events of 9/11 still have the power to unite us as Americans with a shared purpose. In the words of poet Maya Angelou:
“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”
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Slider photos courtesy of: 911day.gmu.edu