College of DuPage gathered students, faculty and staff at its Glen Ellyn campus Friday, Sept. 11, for a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The 7:30 a.m. event at the Robert J. Miller Homeland Security Education Center drew an audience of future first responders training in fire science, law enforcement and emergency management. Outside, 2,977 American flags lined the front lawn, one for every life lost in the attacks, according to The Courier, the COD student newspaper. Historical photographs and a reflection wall invited visitors to share memories.

The ceremony centered on a 1,000-pound steel beam pulled from the wreckage of the World Trade Center's South Tower, permanently displayed inside the center. COD is one of only a handful of educational institutions nationwide to house such a relic, according to the college's announcement.

Homeland Security Training Institute Manager John Mondelli, a former DuPage County Sheriff's Office employee, told the crowd how the beam arrived in Glen Ellyn. Former Associate Dean Tom Greer asked the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for a small relic from Ground Zero during construction of the education center. The Port Authority sent the 1,000-pound beam instead. It traveled from New York strapped to a fire truck, stopping for small ceremonies at fire departments along the route.

Mondelli spoke directly to the students.

"You're about to go into a career where dedication, service, sacrifice are not just something that is nine to five," he said.

He pointed to personal connections across the campus: instructor Mike Fagel, who was sent to Ground Zero to help coordinate the emergency response, and former Associate Dean Tom Ross, whose brothers serve in the fire services. Several DuPage County first responders traveled to assist in the aftermath of the attacks, and some later became ill from their time at the site, according to The Courier.

COD President Muddassir Siddiqi spoke about the lessons the anniversary holds for all students, saying he wants them to understand that violence is not a response to disagreement and that looking out for each other should come first. In the college's announcement of the event, Siddiqi called the beam a symbol of resilience and the college's obligation to remember 9/11 history.

Emergency Management Services/Fire Science Program Manager Brian Baudek and Suburban Law Enforcement Academy Manager Michael Zegadlo also spoke. Academy recruits presented the colors in a ceremonial procession accompanied by bagpipers. The ceremony was livestreamed on the College of DuPage Facebook page.

Mondelli, who recalled watching the attacks on television the morning he dropped his daughter off for her first day of preschool, said five- and zero-year anniversaries call for a pause. Attendees closed the ceremony by filing past the beam to leave a single rose in tribute.