Make a donation to the Museum
Through the Lens of a Gen Z Intern
Exhibition and Docent Stories Through the Lens of a Gen Z Intern
- July 30, 2026
Nash Alamgir
This summer, I had the opportunity to work as a press Communications intern in the Marketing and Communications department at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. In this blog post, I share some of the survivor and victim stories that stuck with me the most and deepened my understanding of the profound impact and lasting significance of the September 11 attacks.
I was born four years after the attacks on 9/11. I knew the date and the outline of the attacks, but I did not understand the gravity of the tragedy until I stood inside the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Upon visiting, I also realized that the stories tied to artifacts are what impart an understanding of the severity of the tragedy.
The first story I heard was from George Mironis, a docent. In his wallet, George keeps a crucial photo of a firefighter who saved his life during the attacks. George was unaware of the firefighter's name for two years; today, the photo serves as a daily reminder of what both went through on 9/11. I continue to think about the picture in George’s wallet, and the way it helps make sure the hero is never forgotten.
A second story that stands out is Welles Remy Crowther's. He worked in finance on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower. Welles was a previous FDNY volunteer, an experience that shaped his actions on September 11. He was a hero who went back into the South Tower repeatedly and led people to safety, a red bandana tied over his face against the smoke. He did not make it out, but the bandana did. Welles’ selflessness is enough to make a stranger like me cry decades later because of his natural altruism.
There’s a phone call on display from Cece Lyles. Cece made the call from Flight 93 to her husband. Her voice stays composed as she explains that the plane was hijacked. Steady through every sentence, until the very end, when she tells him she loves him and her voice breaks; I looked around and stood in a room full of people crying at a phone call from a woman none of us ever met.
From the perspective of a 21-year-old, it often feels like we live in a divided and individualistic world, one in which New Yorkers have a reputation for "looking out for themselves." Walking through the museum reminded me of what society seems to forget: strangers on 9/11 ran toward each other instead of away. On the worst day in modern American history, people chose each other.
When I visited the museum, I made sure to pay attention to the people around me, but naturally saw them as strangers. By the time we left, we were connected by the stories witnessed and the lives we would now remember. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum reminds us that remembrance is an act of unity, and that the compassion strangers showed one another on the day of the attacks remains stronger than the hatred that sought to divide them.
By Nash Alamgir, Press & Communications Intern
Previous Post
9/11 Memorial Art Cart Returns June 23
The Art Cart returns to the plaza this summer, offering free self-guided activities to help children understand what happened on 9/11 and the symbolism of the Memorial.