40 Faces, 40 Stories: Honoring Flight 93 Through Chalk Art

Creating portraits of Kristin Osterholm White Gould and Waleska Martinez for the 25th anniversary of September 11

For the 25th anniversary of September 11, I had the incredible honor of participating in a chalk art tribute at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Artists came together to create large-scale portraits honoring the 40 passengers and crew members of United Airlines Flight 93.

On September 11, 2001, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 learned that other hijacked planes had been used in attacks. Faced with an unimaginable situation, they fought back against their hijackers, preventing the plane from reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C.

Twenty-five years later, we gathered to remember their courage, their families, and the lives they lived.

25 years ago, 9/11/2001: 40 passengers and crew faced the unimaginable. They chose to act. They fought back. 25 years later, 40 Flight 93 passengers and crew, remembered in chalk. We remember.

I was entrusted with creating portraits of two remarkable women: Kristin Osterholm White Gould and Waleska Martinez.

Kristin Osterholm White Gould: A Life of Curiosity

August 29, 1936 – September 11, 2001

Kristin Osterholm White Gould's name on a white marble panel of the Wall of Names — Kristin’s name on the Wall of Names.

Jessi's finished chalk portrait of Flight 93 passenger Kristin Osterholm White Gould, smiling, in a white collared shirt and dark jacket, above her name — Kristin’s name on the Wall of Names.

Kristin was a writer, medical and science journalist, world traveler, and lifelong learner. A graduate of Cornell University, she spent decades exploring subjects that interested her, from medicine and science to literature, languages, history, and the arts.

Her daughter once described her as “a sponge,” someone who absorbed knowledge and could hold a conversation about almost anything.

Kristin lived in New York City, surrounded by books, and was working on a book about early contributors to medicine and science. She was traveling to California to visit friends when she boarded Flight 93. She had celebrated her 65th birthday just 13 days earlier.

What drew me to Kristin was her seemingly endless curiosity.

As an artist with a background in interactive design and technology, I’ve never felt that creativity and technical thinking belonged in separate worlds. My career has taken me through UX design, interactive experiences, murals, and chalk art. I love learning new things and finding unexpected connections between different disciplines.

Kristin’s life reflected that same curiosity. She was someone who seemed to find the world endlessly interesting, and I loved discovering that about her.

She made a life out of curiosity.

Waleska Martinez: A Life of Connection

October 15, 1963 – September 11, 2001

Waleska Martinez's name on a white marble panel of the Wall of Names — Waleska’s name on the Wall of Names.

Jessi's finished chalk portrait of Flight 93 passenger Waleska Martinez, smiling, with dark curly hair and pearl earrings, above her name — Waleska’s name on the Wall of Names.

Waleska was born in Puerto Rico and built a successful career with the U.S. Census Bureau, working her way into computer automation and supervisory roles. She helped support the technology and communications systems behind major census operations and earned recognition for her work.

But what stood out most in the stories about Waleska wasn’t simply her professional success. It was how much she cared about the people around her.

Her family described her as someone they could depend on. She helped friends and relatives find opportunities and advance in their careers. Outside work, she enjoyed cooking, music, concerts, dancing, and spending time with loved ones.

Waleska was traveling to San Francisco for a work conference when she boarded Flight 93. She was just 37 years old.

I’m 37, too.

That detail made her story especially personal.

Like Waleska, I work in technology, although my career is in UX and creative design. I also spend a great deal of time organizing projects, solving logistical problems, and bringing people together through my work in the arts community.

As a co-founder of the Georgia Chalk Artists Guild, I know how rewarding it can be to use your skills and connections to create opportunities for other people. Learning that Waleska was known for helping others succeed made me feel an immediate connection to her.

I also thought about the balance between professional responsibilities, family, friendships, and all the things that make a life full.

At 37, Waleska had already accomplished so much. She should have had decades more ahead of her.

She built a life out of connection.

Bringing Their Portraits to Life

Both portraits were created in chalk on large black panels, alongside portraits of the other passengers and crew members.

Portrait work is always personal, but this experience felt different.

I spent hours studying Kristin’s and Waleska’s faces, carefully building their expressions through layers of color, light, and shadow. I wanted their portraits to feel warm and alive, capturing something of the people their families and friends remembered.

Jessi in a sun hat kneeling over a chalk portrait in progress, holding the reference photo, with trays of pastels beside her

A row of artists kneeling along the memorial walkway, each chalking a portrait beside the grass

Seeing all 40 portraits displayed together was extraordinary.

Aerial photo of all 40 chalk portraits of the Flight 93 passengers and crew in a long line along the memorial walkway, with visitors walking beside them — All 40 portraits along the memorial walkway. Photo: Erik Greenawalt.

From a distance, they formed a long, colorful line of faces stretching along the memorial walkway. Up close, each portrait invited visitors to stop and see an individual person.

One of the most moving parts of the experience was watching visitors walk slowly along the portraits, looking at faces and reading names.

Walking the Flight 93 National Memorial

One of the most meaningful parts of this project was experiencing the Flight 93 National Memorial itself. Set among the rolling hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, the memorial surrounds a peaceful field of wildflowers where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on September 11, 2001.

The landscape is an important part of the memorial’s design. The Field of Honor, walking trails, groves of trees, and carefully aligned pathways guide visitors through the story of Flight 93.

At the edge of the impact area stands a large sandstone boulder marking the general location of the crash. The impact site is sacred ground and the final resting place of the passengers and crew. Families are able to visit this restricted area and leave personal mementos for their loved ones.

As artists, we left a small jar containing pieces of chalk from all 40 portraits. It felt meaningful to leave behind a little piece of every drawing, representing the hours of work and care that went into remembering each person.

Forty Names, Forty Lives

The 25th anniversary remembrance ceremony was incredibly moving. Family members and representatives read aloud the names of the 40 passengers and crew members, with two rings of a bell following each name.

A folded American flag was also carried to the impact site.

Hearing the names individually, surrounded by the families who have carried these memories for 25 years, made me think about the people I love. It reminded me how important it is to cherish our time together, appreciate the ordinary moments, and never take the people in our lives for granted.

It was one thing to research Kristin and Waleska, learn about their lives, and draw their faces. It was another to stand at the memorial and hear their names spoken aloud.

The courage of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 continues to inspire people 25 years later. In their final moments, they made the extraordinary decision to act together in an effort to protect others.

Their bravery deserves to be remembered, as do the full lives they lived before that day.

Following the ceremony, we walked the looping trail around the wildflower field and made our way back toward the visitor center.

There, all 40 chalk portraits were arranged along the memorial’s flight path, creating a colorful line of faces beside the monumental concrete walls. Visitors walked slowly along the portraits, stopping to look at each face and read each name.

Visitors walking along the line of chalk portraits between the tall concrete walls of the Flight 93 National Memorial

Chalk portraits of the passengers and crew lined up along the walkway, each labeled with a name, with a single red rose laid on one

Architecture, History, and Landscape

As an artist and designer, I was especially interested in the memorial’s architecture and the way it uses the landscape to tell a story.

The visitor center sits between towering concrete walls, with a walkway aligned to the plane’s final flight path. The architecture incorporates references to the eastern hemlock trees that grow in the surrounding landscape. Hand-hewn hemlock wood is also used at the ceremonial gate near the Wall of Names.

The design connects the memorial to the natural environment and the history of this part of Pennsylvania, including its coal-mining heritage.

From the visitor center overlook, you can look across the field toward the impact area. Farther down at the memorial plaza, 40 white marble panels form the Wall of Names, one for each passenger and crew member.

The original impact crater was excavated during the investigation and later filled in. Today, the field has been restored, and the sandstone boulder provides a quiet visual marker of where the crash occurred.

Although the landscape now looks peaceful, the investigation recovered wreckage from the surrounding area, including debris caught in trees. Learning about those discoveries made the history of the site feel especially real.

What struck me most was how the memorial encourages visitors to experience the landscape rather than simply observe a monument. You walk the paths, look across the field, follow the flight path, and read the names.

Seeing our portraits displayed in that setting added another layer of meaning. The memorial preserves the history of what happened, while the artwork invited visitors to spend a moment with the people whose lives were lost.

I left thinking about Kristin, Waleska, their families, and the people waiting for me at home.

More than anything, the experience reminded me to cherish the people I love and the time we have together.

More Than Names on a Memorial

One of the things I value most about public art is its ability to create a connection between people.

A portrait can invite someone to pause, look a little closer, and become curious about a person they might never otherwise have known.

Before this project, I knew Kristin and Waleska as names among the passengers of Flight 93. Now I’ll remember Kristin’s love of learning and Waleska’s generosity and determination. I’ll remember the unexpected connections I found with both of them.

I’m deeply grateful to have been part of this tribute and to have had the opportunity to honor these women and their families through my art.

Forty lives. Forty stories. Forty people whose courage and memory continue to inspire us.

Jessi kneeling on the grass beside her chalk portrait of Kristin Osterholm White Gould — With my portrait of Kristin Osterholm White Gould.

Jessi kneeling on the grass beside her chalk portrait of Waleska Martinez on the memorial walkway — With my portrait of Kristin Osterholm White Gould.

In loving memory of Kristin Osterholm White Gould, Waleska Martinez, and all 40 passengers and crew members of United Airlines Flight 93.

In the news

Flight 93 Chalk Art in the News

The 25th anniversary chalk art tribute at the Flight 93 National Memorial received coverage from local, national, and international news outlets.