Former Iowa student reflects on New York after 9-11

A former student at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake who was in New York City a year ago says the attacks not only changed the city’s landscape, but also changed New Yorkers themselves. Ellen Larson was in seminary school in New York when the planes hit the World Trade Center towers about five miles away. Larson says there was panic at first, and then tension for the next several days.She says it was very nerve wracking to hear the fighter jets in the skies over New York. Larson says the attacks led most people to do some soul searching.She says people realized that “it all could come crashing down in an instant” and we need to make connections with people and realize there are special people around us. Larson says many of those feelings remain.She says people are still more courteous of one another, and there’s still apprehension about how the city is going to move on after the anniversary. Larson still has trouble comprehending all that’s happened.She has a hard time believing it was just a year ago that she was “freaking out” and wanting to run away from the city. She’s gained a new appreciation for the ministry she’s hoping to enter.Larson says she’s grown to appreciate the importance of religious leadership in times of crisis. She says she’s also learned that ministers need a time to grieve and support one another. Larson says the tragedy has pulled the religious community closer together.She says religious leaders of all faiths are working together more in the wake of the attacks.