Students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) have struggled to deal with the aftermath of the bombings that took place at the Boston Marathon the afternoon of Monday, April 15. Many FCLC students who have family and friends who live in Boston or were there during the event said that they feared for their safety, as well as for their own in New York City.

FCLC students voiced their concerns about an event like this taking place in other busy cities such as New York. The New York Police Department (NYPD) Community Affairs Bureau released an update Monday at 7:25 p.m., a few hours after the bombings, stating, “We’re stepping up security at hotels and other prominent locations in the city through deployment of the NYPD’s critical response vehicles (CRVs) until more about the explosion is learned.”

Alejandra Alcala, FCLC ’13, said that her grandparents and family members back home in California asked her to take extra care of herself, “Because New York City could be a next target since these occurrences can cause a chain reaction,” she said.

Kaitlin McKenna, FCLC ’14, said her best friend studies in Boston. “Her two roommates were right in front of the explosions,” she said. “One roommate has a blown ear drum and burns and the other has a broken leg and heel and had surgery last night, but both are going to be fine.”

McKenna’s friend told her that had her roommates been standing a few steps back they probably would have been killed.

Some FCLC students, such as Catherine Doran, FCLC ’13 are from Boston, and described the moment of panic. Doran said that when she first heard the news she was in complete shock.

“I thought to myself, how can this happen to my home, the city I love?” She said that she immediately thought of her many friends and family members back home. “I contacted all of them straight away to make sure they were ok. Some of them had been as close as one block away from the explosions,” Doran said. She added that she is optimistic about Boston’s recovery from the tragedy, and said that she hopes for “better days in the future of my fellow Bostonians.”

McKenna described the event, saying, “It’s just terrible. Watching the news is like reliving 9/11, seeing all the people running and screaming.” She added, “My uncle Ronny was one of the first responders on 9/11, and it hit home seeing others responding so quickly and bravely to help those who were hurt or scared or lost.”

Alcala also has friends who study in Boston at Boston College and Boston University, and family members who live in the area.

“My friend Damara goes to Boston College, and she told me that all the people she knows were near school because the race passes through there, so they weren’t at the place of the explosions,” Alcala said. “I was sitting in class when I received an alert on my phone from the New York Times and CNN apps.”

Alcala said she was shocked but also relieved because her family members and friends were safe. “My friend had invited me to stay over for the weekend through Monday because the marathon passes by the school and so students can go cheer on the runners. So I was feeling a bit of relief for myself but a lot of concern for everyone in Boston,” she said.

Paige Golian, FCLC ’15, said she had just gone to Boston the weekend before the explosions to visit her mother and aunt, who she said were 0.3 miles away from the finish line at the time of the explosions.

“The whole thing was very surreal,” she said. “When I heard the news I had just gotten out of class and my knees became weak and my stomach dropped.” Golian added that it was a sad and tragic event that happened on what is supposed to be a happy day.