Colleen Monica Supinski
27, New York, NY

Occupation: Assets Trader
Status: Confirmed Dead.

Colleen Supinski was born August 24, 1974 and died on September 11, 2001. She worked on the 104th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center at Sandler O'Neill & Partners as an assistant assets trader. At the time of her death she had been working at Sandler O'Neill for two years.

Colleen graduated from Susquehanna University in 1996 with a Marketing major. During her time at Susquehanna, she was a member of the track and cross country teams. Her coach, Dick Hess, describes her as having an upbeat personality.

"I hardly ever saw Colleen down," said Hess. "She loved being here. She loved what she was doing. She was a real team oriented person who was reliable, dependable, and always supportive of her teammates."

According to Hess, Colleen was successful in and out of the classroom.

"She was very focused and bright," said Hess. "She must have come here with a purpose in mind and took advantage of everything the institution had to offer."

Supinski was also a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and was president of sorority standards.

After graduating from Susquehanna, Supinski became a mentor for the Sigmund Weis School of Business as well as a member of the New York Financial Alumni Group.

Before working in the WTC, Supinski worked in the marketing department of Cantor Fitzgerald, which is also in New York City.

She was also a member of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Manhattan and was chairwoman of "Hoops for Hope," a fundraising program at Cantor Fitzgerald for cancer research.

On September 11th, 2001, Colleen was working as normal when the first plane hit the north tower. She called her mother to let her know that she was okay, and not to worry because it was the other tower that had been hit. "I'm OK," she told her mother. Then something happened and she added, "I've got to go." That was the last thing that Colleen's family ever heard from her.

From his offices only a few blocks away, her brother, Benjamin Supinski saw the first attack and called her to tell her about it. And then just over an hour later he saw her building collapse.

Colleen and Benjamin Supinski weren't only brother and sister, they were each other's inspiration, too. "She would soften me up a little bit, and I would try to harden her up a little," he said.

For a time, the two of them lived only three blocks from each other. They talked every day on the phone and made it a point to get together at least once a week. They shared the same friends. For a time their youngest brother Nathan, 20, talked about joining them in New York as well.

Colleen loved her job and running, but most of all she loved her family.

"I believe that wherever she is, God's taking care of her," Benjamin Supinski said. "She's up there taking care of me, and of the rest of the family."

Bernice Supinski describes her granddaughter as a "petite tiny thing" who is stronger than she looks.

Just two days after the attacks, Colleen's family came to New York and went from hospital to hospital searching for their loved one, hoping against hope for some good news. That good news never came.

Now, five years after those terrible attacks, the memories are still fresh.

I never knew Colleen Supinski, but I wish I had. From everything I have been able to find, and everyone who knew her, she seems like she was a terrific and loving person. My sincere condolences go out to her family and friends.

Like most people, I remember where I was on September 11, 2001. I was in a hospital bed fighting off an infection that threatened to claim my right leg. I remember turning on the TV as I ate breakfast that morning and seeing it unfold on television. At first I thought it was a new movie and special effects, but it soon became clear that it was all too real. I watched in horror as the events of the day unfolded, and I'm not ashamed to say that I cried that day. I learned the true meaning of evil and I have never forgotten.

Every year since then the events of that day continue to echo inside of me and it feels as fresh to me now as it did then. The choices that many were forced to make, all of which had the same outcome.

September 11, 2001
We will never forget.
We will never forgive.

Sources:
http://www.jamulian.com/db911/
http://www.legacy.com/Sept11.asp?Page=TributeStory&PersonId=139431
http://www.wallofamericans.com/php_files/wall.php?action=person_info&id=1525
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/people/3052.html
http://www.susqu.edu/crusader/article.cfm?IssueID=45&SectionID=1&ArticleID=2046
http://sep11.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleen_Supinski
http://www.susqu.edu/today/Winter02/memory.htm
http://www.irishtribute.com/tributes/view.adp@d=236920&t=237518.html
http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/newyork/part07.html