Somorset sophomore Jessica Estill: “I was at my elementary school in fourth-grade social studies class. I remember the teacher saying that we would remember this day for the rest of our lives.  We were all like, ‘What about this building is important?’ I really remember the graphics. That afternoon my mom acted like it wasn’t a big deal, but that night at supper, my parents talked to me, and that is when it all clicked for me.”

Charleston, S.C., junior Kevin Chestnut: “I was in my fifth-grade class — science — and the assistant principal busted in the door and directed us to go to another room, one with a TV, to watch then news.  We watched for two hours. It was the only time that the students and the teachers were silent.  You could literally hear a pin drop. Everyone was in shock.”

Union sophomore Samantha Hawtrey: “I was at home that day. Me and my brother were in the basement and we heard Mom watching the TV — which wasn’t normal — so we went up to see what was going on. I remember all the pictures from the newspaper. It felt like a movie. I was seven and as a child, it was really hard to understand the implications.”

Bowling Green senior Kelly Kramer: “I was in a car on my way to Louisville for a funeral, listening on the radio.  I was pulling into a parking spot just as the first tower fell. I remember wondering if the drivers in the other cars knew what was going on.”

Scottsville graduate student Krystol Stinson, who was enlisted in the Navy during 9/11: “I was standing in my parents’ living room when the second plane went into the second tower. I remember saying ‘Fuck,’ then apologizing to my mother. Then making my mother cry, because I said I had to go.  I had just gotten home on what was supposed to be a two-week leave.  I was in my car headed back to my ship when I got a call telling me to stay where I was, so I went back home and ate birthday cake with my brother.”

Elkton senior Chris Blake: “I was in math class at school. We ended up only being at school half the day. I actually saw the second plane hit live. I was confused. I was too young and didn’t know why it was happening.  I really remember all the graphics like the people jumping out of the building.”