University Leaders, Community Gather To Remember 9/11
Sunday morning marked the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, which prompted both students and faculty alike to pause and reflect on the brave citizens who gave their lives to protect not only others in the path of danger, but the American people as a whole.
The event brought together representatives from a variety of religious organizations on campus including Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim leaders. Each stressed the importance of unity in the search for global harmony, while offering prayers for peace.
USC Undergraduate Student Government President Monish Tyagi spoke about what actions he thinks the university community needs to take to prevent events like September 11th from happening all over again.
"The way that I think we could do that is by encouraging discussion, encouraging understanding between people from different backgrounds and different cultures," Tyagi said. "That's the kind of thing we should always be working towards."
Many university leaders were also on hand to share their reflections on the gravity of the anniversary. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaragiosa spoke at the ceremony, as well as USC President Max Nikias, who said the university's large international population amplified the effect of 9/11 on USC.
"The USC campus today is a microcosm of what the real world is out there," President Nikias said. "So I'm very proud of the fact that we have this great diversity on our campus, and therefore the students, as part of their educational experience, get to know students with other beliefs and other cultures and from other backgrounds."
Video shot by Joshua Woo and Farrah Shuaib.
