I Can't Use This

Dear Editor,

Amidst all the tragic stories unfolding as a result of Hurricane Katrina, there are some “lights in the darkness” – stories of hope and inspiration – as people displaced by this tragedy try to piece together their lives.

One such story in which you may be interested is that of Romel Brumley-Kerr, an international transfer student from Limon, Costa Rica, and an aspiring 30-year-old baritone opera singer, who from 2003 until just recently, had been on a full music scholarship at the University of New Orleans.

This Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 12:15 pm, at LeFrak Concert Hall on the campus of Queens College, Romel will be performing as part of a relief concert organized by students to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It is his way of thanking all the people who helped him get his life back on track since he was evacuated from UNO with just his passport and clothes in a single plastic bag, leaving his friends and “adopted” family behind.

Thanks to the President’s Scholarship Fund at Queens College and the efforts of administrators and music faculty, Brumley-Kerr is now enrolled at the college’s Aaron Copland School of Music, receiving full tuition and funds for books and his performances. He is currently living with his aunt in Jamaica. “I just want to be independent…fulfill my dreams, and be somebody,” says Romel wistfully.

This very talented student is available for interviews. We are also glad to put you in touch with President James Muyskens, who will discuss the college’s commitment to students displaced by the hurricane’s devastation.


More information on Romel is attached. To set up interviews, please contact: Phyllis Stevens: 718-997-5597