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The Student Association and other student organizations sponsored the vigil, which included remarks from University officials, prayers recited by local religious leaders and an a capella performance.
"This evening is about unity, remembrance and hope," said SA President Nicole Capp in her opening remarks.
The vigil is especially personal for Capp, a New York native who is still struck by emotion remembering the stranger who gave her mother a pair of sneakers so she could walk out of Manhattan on the day of the attacks, she said.
"Few universities have the same kind of relation to (the events on Sept. 11) than GW," University President Steven Knapp said. "No one knew where the next plane might strike."
Knapp called on GW students to take advantage of their location in D.C. to learn the lessons of Sept. 11 and to "embrace intellectual beliefs and customs that differ from your own."
Knapp recalled the pit in his stomach that formed after he heard a second plane had hit the World Trade Center.
"I still reel from how awful that was," he said.
Edward "Skip" Gnehm, a professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula affairs, recalled his experience on Sept. 11, 2001, a time just after he began serving as ambassador to Jordan.
"(Jordanians) from all walks of life - children, adults, the rich and poor" came to the embassy in Jordan to express their sorrow and anger at the terrorists, Gnehm said.
"It is absolutely crucial that we're prepared for another attack," Gnehm said. "We should not be driven by fear."
Along with speakers, the vigil also included a presentation of colors by the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps members, a prayer for unity by Rabbi Joshua Ginsberg and a prayer for remembrance by Imam Johari from the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center.
