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Growing up just outside of Lockerbie, Scotland, Lauren Carruthers and Alicia Pagan repeatedly heard stories from their families regarding the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. They lived and understood the tragedy through the lens of others. Now that the two are Syracuse University’s 2021 Lockerbie Scholars, they are able to forge their own connections to the event that has overshadowed their town since Dec. 21, 1988.

Each year, two students from Lockerbie Academy receive a scholarship to study for one year at Syracuse University. The Lockerbie Scholars represent the 11 people killed in Lockerbie on the ground when Pan Am Flight 103 crashed in the town. The crash killed all 259 people on board, including 35 SU students returning home from their semester abroad. The scholars also represent former Lockerbie Scholar Andrew McClune who died while on campus in 2002.

For the 2021-22 academic year, 16 students from Lockerbie Academy applied for the two spots to study at SU. After a lengthy application process, SU awarded Carruthers and Pagan the two scholarships.

“It’s very known from day one when you get (to Lockerbie Academy) this is what’s available to you,” Carruthers said. “You go (to Syracuse) to represent the 11 victims and Andrew. It’s very sought after.”

After two canceled flights and a 24-hour travel day, Carruthers and Pagan arrived in Syracuse on Aug. 22. Carruthers knew she wanted to pursue this scholarship once she began studying at Lockerbie Academy. For her, the scholarship meant more than just the opportunity to study abroad.

“Being a Lockerbie Scholar is the biggest honor I could get,” Carruthers said. “I’m in a foreign country representing my country … not many other people can say that … and (I can) learn where those 35 other students learned.”

While she is honored to be in Syracuse representing the Lockerbie 11 and McClune, Carruthers also sees this year as an opportunity for personal growth.

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“I wasn’t personally ready to go to uni back home,” Carruthers said. “I felt like I needed a bit of time to just find myself to realize what I wanted. I just needed a bit of time to further learn, but not in a uni perspective. I just needed to learn about myself and where I’m from.”

Having always grown up with the knowledge of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, Pagan felt the magnitude of coming to Syracuse and representing her town.

“All our parents grew up around it,” Pagan said. “My mom actually saw the plane fly over just before it (crashed), so it’s a big thing back at home, and it’s really great to be able to come here and represent the whole little town and have everyone know about it.”

When Pagan arrived in Syracuse, she was surprised to discover that not many freshmen knew about the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. For her, being a scholar is an opportunity to educate SU students about the tragedy.

“A lot of freshmen don’t actually know about (Pan Am 103), which is quite interesting because I thought they would,” Pagan said. “I like to be able to educate them on it.”

For this year’s Remembrance Week, Carruthers and Pagan will continue educating students on the events of Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. Carruthers will represent the Lockerbie 11, and Pagan will represent McClune. During Remembrance Week, which is Oct. 17-23, Carruthers and Pagan will speak about the victims they represent.

“We give a short speech on … how they were amazing people, and it was tragic that we lost them,” Pagan said. “(We) just educate everyone on the Lockerbie aspect of Pan Am 103, so everyone knows that there is that distinct connection between Lockerbie and Syracuse.”

The scholarship provides a bridge between Lockerbie and Syracuse, Carruthers said. The scholars feel like they are rewriting the tragedy of Pan Am Flight 103 by creating their own connections.

“If this scholarship didn’t exist we’d have a very negative connotation between Syracuse and Lockerbie, because it’s the disaster. But the positive of it is that this exists, and people from Lockerbie can come here,” Carruthers said.

Published on September 15, 2021 at 11:53 pm

Contact Shantel: [email protected] | @shantelguzman2