Bell attended Georgetown University , in Washington , D.C. , and planned to attend law school . She was working as a legal assistant at a New York law firm when the September 11 attacks occurred . She left New York a year later and took a variety of jobs , including as a bartender in Vail , Colorado , and a waitress at a race track . Encouraged by her mother , she enrolled at Northwestern University 's Medill School of Journalism , and interned at India 's '' Hindustan Times '' . She graduated with a master 's degree in 2006
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Melissa Bell (journalist)