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Riley Goodfellow

Senior, Raquel Vellandi, was born on September 11, 2001, while the tragedy actually occurred. “[My mom] was in labor when the planes hit,” said Vellandi but she would never change her birthday, “it’s a part of me,” said Vellandi.

It is hard for students to ignore the national tragedy of September 11, 2001, especially when it was the day they were born.

Seniors, Raquel Vellandi, and Ataliwala Akshat, and Junior, Isabelle Peloso all share 9/11 as their birthday. They not only share the date, they were born on the exact day in 2001, many while the tragedy was occurring.  

Their parents did not have the typical birth experience many couples have. “[My mom] was in labor when the planes hit,” said Vellandi. Meanwhile, “my mom refused to have me on that day,” said Peloso. “All the doctors were paying attention to what was happening in the news,” said Akshat, instead of tending to his mother giving birth.

Someone’s birthday is usually their main concern but on September 11, “a lot of people forget your birthday…your birthday isn’t the most important thing happening that day,” said Akshat.  

The event was and still is a very serious matter, it being the first terrorist attack in the United States, but Vellandi said “people always think that I’m joking when I say my birthday is September 11”. “You have to be careful about the topic,” said Peloso.

“I’m constantly reminded of the tragedy…in a sense its memorable and it keeps it alive. Kids will ask me ‘what is 9/11?’ so it forces them to think about what happened and learn about what happened, said Peloso.

As hard as having your birthday coincide with a national catastrophe is “the people that you share your birthday with have a connection,” said Akshat, “it’s a part of me now,” said Vellandi.