By Winnie Yu
When Seth Morgan ’23 talks about 9/11, he prefers to focus on the humanity, whether it’s the stranger who walked someone to safety or the business that opened its doors to the public.
Morgan’s perspective shapes his role as the professional development coordinator at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, where he teaches educators how to talk to their students about 9/11, provides resources, and occasionally works with students.
His goal is to create historical empathy through inquiry-based teaching and storytelling. “It’s the nexus of my passion for history, my education, and my belief in public service,” Morgan says. “I love sharing compassionate stories with kids and empowering them to be history makers.”
A Storyteller’s Approach
Seth Morgan ’23 leads a tour at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
The teaching of 9/11 is evolving. “As of this September, 100 million Americans will have no lived memory of 9/11, and some of them are teachers,” Morgan says. “We begin by asking, ‘Why are you here? Why do you teach or not teach 9/11? What do you know about it and how?’”
Facts are one thing, but the most impactful lessons lie in the humanity that came out of the attacks, Morgan says.
Consider the story of Bridget Gormley, who lost her father to bladder cancer in 2016 after he worked at the recovery site. His death inspired Gormley to become an advocate for those suffering from 9/11-related health effects, and to direct a documentary about them.
“She took her grief and trauma and created this amazing study of what a disaster of this scale can do in the immediate aftermath and the very long term,” Morgan says.
Facilitating for Good
"9/11 happened every day for me, and it was very difficult. I had a lot of stress dreams."
Morgan was visiting his father in Charlotte, N.C. when his dad called from work and told him a plane had struck the World Trade Center. Morgan didn’t believe it. Moments later, he watched on TV as the second plane hit.
Morgan landed a job at the 9/11 Museum as an education specialist three months before graduating from Empire State University. Working there was challenging. “9/11 happened every day for me, and it was very difficult,” he says. “I had a lot of stress dreams.”
Learning how to leave his job at the office became part of the job. Now, at the end of each day, he tugs on his lanyard, so it separates with a snap. “That action marks the end of the day,” he says.
But while he’s at work, Morgan sees himself as a facilitator, a conduit for the good that emerged from one of the worst chapters in American history. “Nineteen men made horrible choices that day,” he says. “But many more people chose to help, inspire, and save. That’s the story I want students to walk away with.”