\u2014Event Spearheaded by Two Queens College Students\u2014Sisters Jessica and Danielle Alejandro\u2014in Memory of Their Grandfather; Names of the Deceased Will Be Read Aloud\u2014<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
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Media:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>RSVP to\u00a0<\/span>Linda.Pacheco@qc.cuny.edu<\/a>.\u00a0All visitors must pre-register in the\u00a0Cleared4 system\u00a0to access campus.\u00a0<\/span>Directions to Campus<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Campus Map<\/a><\/p>\nWatch the livestream<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>HERE\u200b<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\nVisuals:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>One hundred twenty-three yellow paper hearts bearing the names of the deceased will be displayed on the windows surrounding the entrance to the Queens College Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library.<\/p>\nQueens, NY, April 8, 2022\u2014Members of the Queens College community will honor 123 loved ones lost to COVID-19 through a Yellow Heart Memorial event on Wednesday, April 13, from 9:30 to 10:30 am at Cooperman Plaza in front of Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library.\u00a0College administrators and elected officials will greet those gathered.\u00a0The names of the deceased will be read aloud after the college\u2019s jazz ensemble performs a musical selection.<\/p>\n
Yellow Heart Memorial is an initiative sponsored by the eponymous nonprofit organization that aims to acknowledge those who died from COVID-19 not as statistics, but as beloved family members, friends, and colleagues; their names or pictures are placed on individual yellow paper hearts and displayed in a common area.\u00a0\u200b<\/p>\n
The Queens College Memorial will display the hearts on the windows surrounding the main entrance of Rosenthal Library. Those being honored during the ceremony range from family and friends of college community members to faculty, staff, and alumni.<\/p>\n
Queens College is the first\u00a0<\/span>college in New York State and the second in the nation to hold such a memorial. The event was spearheaded by two students\u2014sisters Jessica and Danielle Alejandro\u2014in memory of their grandfather Joseph Anthony Szalkiewicz, who died from complications of COVID-19 on March 8, 2021. Like so many who were separated from their loved ones during the pandemic, the Alejandros bid goodbye to \u201cthe heart of their family\u201d over FaceTime shortly before his death.\u00a0Both sisters are pursuing education degrees.<\/p>\n\u201cJessica and Danielle Alejandro have made it possible for us to grieve together the immeasurable losses to families and friendships that still reverberate through our community,\u201d says Queens College President Frank H. Wu. \u201cSo many of us lost precious time with loved ones while in isolation before losing them to COVID, making this physical gathering even more significant and necessary. Jessica and Danielle have added a special poignancy to our school motto, \u2018We learn so that we may serve.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The event will be hosted by the Alejandros. Speakers will be President Frank H. Wu; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr.; Senator Joseph Addabbo; Assemblywoman Nily Rozic; Queens College Student Elizabeth Durand, who lost her parents\u2014Gloria E. and Michael C. Kelly\u2014to COVID-19;\u00a0<\/span>Gerry Brostek, the son of Joseph Brostek ’55, a COVID-19 victim;\u00a0<\/span>Yellow Heart Memorial Founder Rosie Davis; and Office of Student Development and Leadership Administrative Coordinator Kayla Cato, who served as the administrative liaison to the Alejandro sisters and helped plan the event.<\/p>\n\u201cMy sister and I wanted so much for our Queens College family to have the opportunity to honor a loved one through the Yellow Heart Memorial\u2014as we did with our Papa [grandfather]\u2014and to be part of a community that understands their depth of grief,\u201d says Jessica Alejandro.<\/p>\n
“When we lost our Papa, our world stopped, but the world around us continued to move forward,\u201d adds Danielle Alejandro. \u201cIt is our mission to make sure that the world knows that our Papa and other loved ones lost to COVID were here, that they are still loved and deeply missed and are more than just statistics.”<\/p>\n
Davis founded the Yellow Heart Memorial as an online community following the loss of her mother Mary Castro to COVID on May 17, 2020. The memorial currently has twelve national chapters and one international chapter. Having found comfort and support through this online community, the Alejandro sisters sought to transform their grief into advocacy for others affected by COVID loss by spearheading the commemorative event at the college.<\/p>\n
As the New York City team leads for Yellow Heart Memorial, the sisters will help host the second annual COVID March to Remember\u2014a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge\u2014on Saturday, August 6, 2022. They are also working with New York State Senator Joseph Addabbo to create a permanent Yellow Heart Memorial to honor New York City residents lost to COVID.<\/p>\n
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About Queens College<\/strong>
Queens College produces more education graduates who become principals, teachers, and counselors for the city\u2019s public schools than any other college in the metropolitan area. The college contributes to the local talent pool as a powerful economic engine and a leader in tech education. Students from across the country and around the world are attracted to study at the Aaron Copland School of Music. Its renowned faculty and alumni include nationally recognized composers, conductors, and performers who have received over 100 Grammy Awards and nominations.<\/p>\nQueens College enjoys a national reputation for its liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional programs. With its graduate and undergraduate degrees, honors programs, and research and internship opportunities, the college helps its more than 20,000 students realize their potential in countless ways, assisted by an accessible, award-winning faculty. Located on a beautiful, 80-acre campus in Flushing, the college has been cited by Princeton Review as one of America’s Best Value Colleges for four consecutive years, as well as being ranked a U.S. News and World Report Best College and Forbes Magazine Best Value College thanks to its outstanding academics, generous financial aid packages, and relatively low costs. Visit our homepage<\/a> to learn. more\u200b.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_social_media_follow icon_color=”#A9A9A9″ use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”22px” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” text_orientation=”right” width=”100%” min_height=”97px” custom_margin=”-3px||-1px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”facebook” url=”https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_release_template\/” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” border_color_all=”#A9A9A9″ global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]facebook[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”twitter” url=”https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_releases\/” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]twitter[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”linkedin” url=”https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/cws\/share?url=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_releases” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]linkedin[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][\/et_pb_social_media_follow][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Maria Matteo” image_icon_background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” image_icon_width=”48px” _builder_version=”4.16.1″ header_font=”Open Sans||||||||” body_text_color=”#000000″ body_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”|||0px||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2022\/04\/2022-04-13_Yellow_Heart_Memorial-6635-tw.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWatch the livestream<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>HERE\u200b<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Visuals:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>One hundred twenty-three yellow paper hearts bearing the names of the deceased will be displayed on the windows surrounding the entrance to the Queens College Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library.<\/p>\n Queens, NY, April 8, 2022\u2014Members of the Queens College community will honor 123 loved ones lost to COVID-19 through a Yellow Heart Memorial event on Wednesday, April 13, from 9:30 to 10:30 am at Cooperman Plaza in front of Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library.\u00a0College administrators and elected officials will greet those gathered.\u00a0The names of the deceased will be read aloud after the college\u2019s jazz ensemble performs a musical selection.<\/p>\n Yellow Heart Memorial is an initiative sponsored by the eponymous nonprofit organization that aims to acknowledge those who died from COVID-19 not as statistics, but as beloved family members, friends, and colleagues; their names or pictures are placed on individual yellow paper hearts and displayed in a common area.\u00a0\u200b<\/p>\n The Queens College Memorial will display the hearts on the windows surrounding the main entrance of Rosenthal Library. Those being honored during the ceremony range from family and friends of college community members to faculty, staff, and alumni.<\/p>\n Queens College is the first\u00a0<\/span>college in New York State and the second in the nation to hold such a memorial. The event was spearheaded by two students\u2014sisters Jessica and Danielle Alejandro\u2014in memory of their grandfather Joseph Anthony Szalkiewicz, who died from complications of COVID-19 on March 8, 2021. Like so many who were separated from their loved ones during the pandemic, the Alejandros bid goodbye to \u201cthe heart of their family\u201d over FaceTime shortly before his death.\u00a0Both sisters are pursuing education degrees.<\/p>\n \u201cJessica and Danielle Alejandro have made it possible for us to grieve together the immeasurable losses to families and friendships that still reverberate through our community,\u201d says Queens College President Frank H. Wu. \u201cSo many of us lost precious time with loved ones while in isolation before losing them to COVID, making this physical gathering even more significant and necessary. Jessica and Danielle have added a special poignancy to our school motto, \u2018We learn so that we may serve.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The event will be hosted by the Alejandros. Speakers will be President Frank H. Wu; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr.; Senator Joseph Addabbo; Assemblywoman Nily Rozic; Queens College Student Elizabeth Durand, who lost her parents\u2014Gloria E. and Michael C. Kelly\u2014to COVID-19;\u00a0<\/span>Gerry Brostek, the son of Joseph Brostek ’55, a COVID-19 victim;\u00a0<\/span>Yellow Heart Memorial Founder Rosie Davis; and Office of Student Development and Leadership Administrative Coordinator Kayla Cato, who served as the administrative liaison to the Alejandro sisters and helped plan the event.<\/p>\n \u201cMy sister and I wanted so much for our Queens College family to have the opportunity to honor a loved one through the Yellow Heart Memorial\u2014as we did with our Papa [grandfather]\u2014and to be part of a community that understands their depth of grief,\u201d says Jessica Alejandro.<\/p>\n “When we lost our Papa, our world stopped, but the world around us continued to move forward,\u201d adds Danielle Alejandro. \u201cIt is our mission to make sure that the world knows that our Papa and other loved ones lost to COVID were here, that they are still loved and deeply missed and are more than just statistics.”<\/p>\n Davis founded the Yellow Heart Memorial as an online community following the loss of her mother Mary Castro to COVID on May 17, 2020. The memorial currently has twelve national chapters and one international chapter. Having found comfort and support through this online community, the Alejandro sisters sought to transform their grief into advocacy for others affected by COVID loss by spearheading the commemorative event at the college.<\/p>\n As the New York City team leads for Yellow Heart Memorial, the sisters will help host the second annual COVID March to Remember\u2014a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge\u2014on Saturday, August 6, 2022. They are also working with New York State Senator Joseph Addabbo to create a permanent Yellow Heart Memorial to honor New York City residents lost to COVID.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”12px” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”22px” header_2_font_size=”19px” background_color=”#EFEFEF” width=”100%” custom_padding=”18px|26px|18px|26px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n About Queens College<\/strong> Queens College enjoys a national reputation for its liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional programs. With its graduate and undergraduate degrees, honors programs, and research and internship opportunities, the college helps its more than 20,000 students realize their potential in countless ways, assisted by an accessible, award-winning faculty. Located on a beautiful, 80-acre campus in Flushing, the college has been cited by Princeton Review as one of America’s Best Value Colleges for four consecutive years, as well as being ranked a U.S. News and World Report Best College and Forbes Magazine Best Value College thanks to its outstanding academics, generous financial aid packages, and relatively low costs. Visit our homepage<\/a> to learn. more\u200b.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_social_media_follow icon_color=”#A9A9A9″ use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”22px” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” text_orientation=”right” width=”100%” min_height=”97px” custom_margin=”-3px||-1px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”facebook” url=”https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_release_template\/” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” border_color_all=”#A9A9A9″ global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]facebook[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”twitter” url=”https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_releases\/” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]twitter[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”linkedin” url=”https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/cws\/share?url=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_releases” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]linkedin[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][\/et_pb_social_media_follow][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Maria Matteo” image_icon_background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” image_icon_width=”48px” _builder_version=”4.16.1″ header_font=”Open Sans||||||||” body_text_color=”#000000″ body_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”|||0px||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Queens College produces more education graduates who become principals, teachers, and counselors for the city\u2019s public schools than any other college in the metropolitan area. The college contributes to the local talent pool as a powerful economic engine and a leader in tech education. Students from across the country and around the world are attracted to study at the Aaron Copland School of Music. Its renowned faculty and alumni include nationally recognized composers, conductors, and performers who have received over 100 Grammy Awards and nominations.<\/p>\n