Brewster Grad in Boston Reflects on Chaos

For Ashley Henderson, a Southeast native who attends Bentley University, just outside Boston, Fridays mean no class, and a trip across town to her internship.

But that didn't happen this morning. The 2011 Brewster High School graduate woke around 7, and quickly learned the chaos she had heard about on the news, just before bed, was far from over. A text from her boss told her to take the day because the situation was "too dangerous." 

"I was expecting to get up, take the shuttle to Harvard Square then catch the Red Line to South Station where I work," she said Friday afternoon from her dorm room on campus, which remained closed. "I was pretty worried because the shuttle runs through Watertown and into Cambridge, so I was like, 'What if this guy is waiting to bomb the T?' I was pretty nervous to get into work, but I was going to go about my day."

Henderson said the campus is about two miles from last night's commotion, which involved a shootout in the Watertown area. Officials urged folks to skip work and stay home.

At Bentley, where university police blocked entrances to the campus, a few students ventured out to the green, Henderson said as she wrote a term paper due Tuesday. Most stayed in their dorms. Classes were canceled.

The dining hall was open for just an hour at lunch. Luckily, Henderson—who was on campus and far from the bombing of Monday's marathon—has some cereal in her room.

"Right now it is 73 degrees and sunny," she said, predicting that the entire campus would head outside if the emergency warnings were lifted. "We're hoping soon. I can't imagine that Monday everything won't go back to normal, whether he’s in custody or not."

But of course, Henderson and her peers are hoping police are able to arrest the suspect. They "didn't feel safe" going to sleep Thursday, and were still "pretty shaken up" Friday afternoon.

"It's kind of hitting us that this person could honestly be anywhere," she said.

The thought of that is making Henderson a bit homesick for the "quiet suburb" where her parents and two younger brothers still live. She's been in touch with her parents, and knows that while they seem calm on the outside, they're probably very worried.

This experience has made the sophomore really appreciate her family and everything they've given her.

"People have always told me life isn’t exacty easy, but it's worth it in the end," she said. "That's probably one of things I've been living by this week. I'm just so grateful for everything."