Swinging open the door of the O’Hare Residence Hall Office (RHO), Kevin Verga, GSB ‘19, greeted me.
“Hey, you’re the person I think I’m looking for. Are you here to do that thing?” he asked.

Verga and I were complete strangers up until this point, yet within 30 minutes of talking with him, I felt like I had known him my whole life.

Verga made himself comfortable in a desk chair, opened up his Spotify, turned on some jazz music and kicked back. As a third year RA, WFUV employee in the underwriting department, member of the Students Advisory Council, drummer for the university’s jazz ensemble and drummer in his own band, there’s never a dull moment in his day.

“I never plan more than an hour and a half ahead, because I don’t see how you possibly can,” said Verga. “Life just happens really quickly, and I really just try to ebb and flow with it and everything just kind of works out that way for me.”

For Verga, things really have worked out this past year, and unexpectedly, too, when his passion for music was reignited upon taking his first music class junior year to fulfill his fine arts requirement.“Music History with Professor Bianchi. That class really kind of started this all,” said Verga.

As a second semester senior, Verga is currently enrolled in four music classes to complete his minor, as well as a poetry course.

“It’s funny because when I came here I was captain of the football team in high school and played rugby here and I don’t think I was a stereotypical jock or anything, but that’s what I cared about and that’s a big reason why I came here,” said Verga. “But now I’m leaving. I haven’t stepped on a rugby pitch in a long time, but I’m in the jazz practice rooms every day.”

Verga said he has played and valued music from a young age, but it was not until this past year that he really lived out those passions when he started working at WFUV. He later began officially playing drums in May.“Since I grew up in Rockland County, I listened to FUV my whole life. I really love music and that station really shaped how I listened to music,” said Verga. Verga said the work he does in underwriting at WFUV has aided him in outlining a potential future career.

He outlined his post-grad plans loosely: he sees himself living in Manhattan working somewhere in music streaming and working with music algorithms.Whether it be live venues or on the technology side, Verga said he’s certain he will be working somewhere in music.

“Everything is so binary nowadays. It’s either this is that, or if you’re not with me, you’re against me,” said Verga. “It seems to be that there’s very few things that really bring everyone together and really music overcomes all of these boundaries,” said Verga.

Music has also opened up what Verga referred to as a slew of “euphoric opportunities” for him. “I saw Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin and Roger Daltrey from The Who at WFUV concerts this summer,” said Verga. “I was on another planet, and I saw these people for free.”He also described his experience in the university’s jazz ensemble, where he meets one to two times a week with other musicians and occasionally plays with them at Jazz at Lincoln Center. “There’s at least one or two gigs that you play out there. Jazz at Lincoln Center is the place. How many people slave to get there and I just kinda… I play drums,” said Verga, humbly.

In his free time, Verga plays drums in a band called The Usual that plays around Fordham, at shows and at parties. He said their goal is to win Battle of the Bands and open up for Spring Weekend.

Verga credited the university and its unique body of individuals as his main motivator.
“Everyone has passions and goals and that’s not an everyday thing,” said Verga. Everyone around you being passionate and having a next step in mind.”

When he’s not in the Keating practice rooms, on duty or rocking out to The Strokes, Verga revealed a common pastime of his.
“I spend a lot of time in the caf drinking caf coffee. That’s kind of how I deal with it all,” he said. “So much caf coffee.”

By Erica Scalise