College Grad Was 2 Months Into New Job When Plane Hit the Twin Towers. Her Family ‘Couldn’t Let Her Dreams Die’
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Brooke Jackman was just beginning her career. At 23 years old, she had landed a new job at Cantor Fitzgerald, working on the 104th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. She was two months into the role, full of energy and excitement, building the life she had always dreamed of after years of hard work in school. But in an instant, her journey was cut short when a hijacked plane crashed into the building, taking her life and changing her family’s world forever.
Brooke was remembered by those who knew her as a vibrant young woman who loved reading and cared deeply about others. She had only recently graduated and was just starting to carve out her path in the world, but her heart was always with children and with helping people. That part of her never faded, even after she was gone, because her family decided her dreams could not end that day.
In the painful weeks and months that followed, Brooke’s family made a choice that turned grief into hope. They launched the Brooke Jackman Foundation, a non-profit inspired by her love of books and her belief in the power of education. The foundation’s mission was simple yet profound: to bring the joy of reading to children, especially those who might not otherwise have access to books. What started as a tribute to Brooke quickly grew into a movement that touched the lives of thousands.
Over the years, the foundation has donated more than a million books to children across the country. Through literacy programs, book drives, and events, the foundation has given kids the opportunity to discover stories, characters, and worlds that fuel their imagination. In every page a child reads, Brooke’s passion for learning lives on. Her legacy is not just in the memory of the life she lived, but in the countless lives being shaped by the gift of reading.
Her family has often said, “We lost her, but we couldn’t let her dreams die.” And they meant it. While they never got to see Brooke live out the future she had been working toward, they made sure her values and her love continued in a different form. Instead of letting her story end in tragedy, they transformed it into one of resilience and inspiration.
Looking back now, more than two decades later, Brooke’s story reminds us that behind every name on that devastating day, there was a person with a future, a family, and a passion. She was more than a victim of an attack—she was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a dreamer who believed in the power of books to change lives. Thanks to the Brooke Jackman Foundation, children who might never have held a book are now discovering the magic of reading. Her life was tragically short, but her impact continues to grow with every book opened and every story read.
September 11 is remembered for the pain it brought, but also for the ways families like Brooke’s turned heartbreak into a legacy that inspires hope. For them, she will always be 23, always smiling, always believing in the promise of tomorrow. And through the work done in her name, she is still changing the world in ways she could have only imagined.
