A woman whose father died in the 9/11 attacks has spoken about how her time in Northern Ireland shaped her understanding of peace and reconciliation.

Juliette Scauso, 29, was four years old when her father Dennis Scauso, a New York firefighter, entered the World Trade Center to help evacuate people and did not return. His damaged helmet was returned to the family in 2002, but no other remains were found.

Ms Scauso studied at Ulster University and has now started work as a doctor in Edinburgh. She said Northern Ireland had a significant impact on how she viewed her own experience.

Her father was not scheduled to work on 11 September 2001, but had traded shifts to earn overtime for a planned trip to Hawaii with his wife. After the first plane struck, he went into the building to assist with evacuation.

Ms Scauso said the absence of a grave was difficult. The 9/11 Memorial in New York serves as a place to visit for her family, but she described it as a tourist attraction where people take selfies. She attends only on the night of 10 September or on the 11th when it is closed to the public.

During a visit to Belfast as a teenager, Ms Scauso was struck by the Peace Walls between the Shankill and Falls areas. She said Northern Ireland showed her what happens when conflict becomes embedded within communities over generations, and that ending violence is not the same as achieving reconciliation.

She returned to Belfast in August 2025 and noted the walls were still intact, which she said was a reminder of the legacy of the Troubles.

Ms Scauso has been involved with the 9/11 community and described her grief as becoming a form of advocacy, including efforts to pursue accountability from those who facilitated the attacks. She attended a victims’ event in Lisburn last year, where she spoke about the ongoing legal action and the challenge of grieving in a high-profile case.

The 25th anniversary of 9/11 was marked this month. Ms Scauso attended the ceremony at the World Trade Center and a private event at her father’s high school in Commack, New York, where the street has been renamed Dennis Scauso Way.