Nicole, who was a student at West Valley College in Saratoga, California, made an impulsive decision to fly to the East Coast to vacation with a friend. The couple toured Manhattan landmarks and New Jersey boardwalks and beaches before boarding separate flights to return home. A thunderstorm on the evening of September 10 forced Nicole to re-schedule her flight to the next morning.
United Airlines Flight 93 was crashed into a field, during an attempt by some of the passengers to regain control, killing all 44 people aboard.
Nicole's sister said, "She was brave, heroic, strong-willed and would have fought back with all her might. She was beautiful like a cover girl inside and out."
