As students at Saint Anselm, it is easy for us to lose sight of just how fortunate we are to attend college in a safe and secure environment. The setting of our beautiful New England 400-acre campus is just about as peaceful an environment as we could hope to spend our college years.

For students at American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, this was far from the case on Aug. 25 when a deadly 10-hour attack claimed the lives of 13 people and left dozens more injured. According to several news sources, the fatalities included seven students, one professor, three police officers and two security guards.

While the incident at American University of Afghanistan took place in a part of the world that has been more prone to violence than where we live, the reality is that we are not immune to such an attack.

Just this past week, Americans nationwide observed the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. At the time, an attack of that magnitude occurring on American soil (or anywhere at all) was nothing short of unfathomable.

There have also been violent attacks on college campuses around the country in recent years, the most notable being the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 that claimed the lives of 32 people.

The bottom line is that we should be grateful for what we have here at Saint Anselm College and it is important to remember that in a moment’s notice, a life-changing tragedy could turn our world upside down.