With every note, Anne Valerie Ter’s music swells with memories and a legacy of love.
“It gives me more motivation to practice, definitely, because I know my mom and sister really liked me playing piano,” she said.
Almost a year ago, the 15-year-old Alexandria resident’s mother and sister, Olesya and Olivia Ter, were making their way home from a skating camp in Wichita, Kansas. Minutes before landing at Reagan National Airport outside D.C., a military Black Hawk crashed into the plane, killing everyone on board.
“My mom was such a caring person, and she always put other people before herself, so, she would always put her whole life into me and my sister,” Ter said. “My sister was so funny, but also she was so smart in school. And she was just so amazing at figure skating, and she just kept trying.”
In the weeks and months since the crash, Anne Valerie has continued to work hard in school and on the piano. She even won a prestigious competition at her music school.
“It’s good, because it feels like I’m doing something they loved,” she said. “And it was my dream piece for such a long time, so I’m really glad I got to do that.”
She said she has been following the National Transportation Safety Board hearings as investigators work to determine exactly what went wrong before the tragedy.
“Hopefully things can be safer for other people,” she said.
Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
