Twenty Years After 9/11, MDC Reflects: ‘You Must Be Resilient’
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Division Chief Danny Cardeso stepped to the lectern as a sea of grey and white yard signs—marked with the names of the victims of the 9/11 attacks—adorned West Lawn Plaza at North Campus.
“You must be resilient and strong in your future pursuits and endeavors, for the road ahead is filled with great potential but also with many pitfalls and setbacks,” Cardeso told a group of Miami Dade College students and staff on Friday. “Remain laser-focused, steadfast, resilient and strong in the pursuit of your goals.”
The message was part of an observance event, one of several remembrance ceremonies that MDC held on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
“America struggled to recover from the tragedy, but it is because of this tragedy that we are able to stand stronger together,” said Mia Ruiz, the North Campus Student Government Association vice president.
At Eduardo J. Padrón Campus, the student life department displayed an informational board about the events that transpired during 9/11 and a small paper replica of the Twin Towers was illuminated with spotlights. Enamel pins, pencils and folding fans with the American flag were also distributed.
“9/11 is about the memories that us as a younger generation did not experience personally but a lot of our parents and grandparents did,” said Maria Home, a pre-nursing student at the Padrón Campus Honors College. “It shows us that from one moment to the next you’re here on earth [but] they aren’t here with you anymore.”
Medical Campus hosted a panel discussion. It included a poignant moment by Michael Yoder, an EMS program coordinator at the campus, who talked about the lives that were lost.
“Three hundred and forty-three firefighters and paramedics from New York died,” Yoder said. “That’s why you still see a lot of firefighters with 343 on their uniforms or tattoos with 343. What other profession gives up 343 people in one day?”
Hialeah and West campus each held a moment of silence in their honor.
“We have to commemorate this event every year because even though it brings back sadness, it also brings us to the realization that we’re better together and have to be more resilient,” said Hialeah Campus President Anthony Cruz.
The remembrance events began on Sept. 8, when Kendall Campus decorated the Shark Tank outside of Finn’s Bistro with American flags and student Russell Otway, a veteran, led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance. The event also featured a student who sang Rise Up by Andra Day and another group presented a musical dedication with violins.
Although the tragedy occurred two decades ago, its after effects continue to reverberate across the nation.
“It changed American history forever,” Home said.
Staff writers Carolina Soto, Elizabeth Pomares and Diana Lima and photographers Ulysses del Pino and Liany Chavez contributed to this story.
