What Maria Korinthiou was doing on the morning of September 11
Maria Korinthiou arrived in Boston to study television broadcasting at the College of Communication in Massachusetts. The program combined elements of journalism, on-camera presentation and television production. September 11 was her first day of classes.
She was in the process of having her student identification photograph taken when large television screens began showing breaking news of the first plane striking the World Trade Center. Students and staff present reacted with shock. The moment marked the abrupt start of her university experience in the United States, turning an ordinary administrative task into the beginning of a day defined by unfolding national events.
Her studies focused on TV broadcasting, a field that merged reporting, presentation skills and production techniques. Being new to the campus meant she had limited familiarity with the surroundings or routines when the screens interrupted the usual first-day activities. The shock among those gathered around the televisions was immediate and collective, setting the tone for the hours that followed.
The sequence of events she witnessed on live television
While the initial reports were still developing, the second plane struck the second tower. Korinthiou described the moment as the second aircraft hitting live on screen. A third plane, which had been intended for the White House, instead struck the Pentagon in Washington.
At that point the nature of the day became clear to those watching: the United States was under attack. Classes were suspended and students were directed to remain in place until further instructions arrived. Then minutes later came the collapse of the towers. The live images of both impacts and the subsequent structural failures left little doubt about the scale of the incident.
The sequence moved rapidly from the first reported strike to confirmation of a coordinated series of attacks. Korinthiou noted the clarity that emerged once the Pentagon was hit, shifting the situation from isolated news to an evident national emergency. The suspension of classes happened quickly, followed by the visual confirmation of the towers falling, which added to the sense of ongoing crisis.
Campus evacuation and communication breakdown
Korinthiou recalled an advisor providing evacuation instructions. The campus quickly emptied. All non-essential activity across the country was halted. Telephone lines became unusable, social media platforms did not yet exist in widespread form, and email access was limited for many students. She remained with other students in residential housing for the next three days while authorities assessed ongoing developments through broadcast news.
The pandemonium included the order that everyone stay home across the entire country. Phone lines did not work. There were no social networks or smartphones and emails were not available either. The advisor’s directions came amid growing uncertainty, leading to a swift but chaotic departure from classrooms and common areas.
With traditional communication channels overwhelmed or nonexistent, students relied on television broadcasts for updates. The three-day period indoors was marked by limited external contact and dependence on official news reports. The absence of smartphones and social platforms meant information spread only through radio, television and word of mouth from advisors.
Her reflection twenty-five years later
Korinthiou noted that her child was beginning college on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the attacks. The coincidence brought the events of that first university day back into focus for her. She lived through the pandemonium on her own first day at university and now sees the same moment revived after twenty-five years.
The parallel timing connected her personal milestone with her child’s, reviving memories of the uncertainty and lockdown that defined that September morning. The recollection surfaced naturally as she observed the new academic year starting under different circumstances yet on the same calendar date.
Frequently asked questions
Where was Maria Korinthiou studying on September 11, 2001?
She was enrolled in a television broadcasting program at the College of Communication in Massachusetts, located in the Boston area.
What did she see on television that morning?
Korinthiou was having her student identification photo taken when screens showed the first plane hitting the World Trade Center, followed live by the second plane striking the second tower.
How long did students remain in lockdown?
She reported remaining inside residential housing for three days while awaiting updated information from news broadcasts.
Did communication systems function normally?
Telephone lines were overwhelmed and unavailable. Social media and smartphones were not yet common, and email access was also restricted during the initial period.
Why does the memory remain vivid for her today?
The start of her own university studies coincided with the attacks, and the parallel timing of her child beginning college twenty-five years later renewed the recollection.
