It was one of the hardest times of my life and left me feeling extremely lonely and afraid. I was so ashamed of what was happening to me at school.”
Recalling a specific incident, which took place when he was 11, an emotional Romel fights back tears.
“This is probably the most traumatic thing,” he says. “I will never, ever forget it till the day I die. My sister and I were walking home from school and all of a sudden, everyone that I thought were my friends, all the boys ran up to me
and my sister.
“All of a sudden I had five or six guys jump me and start beating the s--t out of me while my sister’s just standing there, watching.
“I remember looking into her eyes, and just feeling her hurt,” he continues. “I will never, ever, ever forget that moment. We still haven’t spoken about it.”
Growing up, Romel describes himself as “different” to the other people in his life, including his family. “I felt like the black sheep of the family as I was a big dreamer and wanted things in life I knew the family wouldn’t necessarily agree with,” he explains.
Wanting to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, Romel’s parents didn’t approve of his aspirations, and it caused major conflict with his father in particular.
“The lowest point in my life was when I moved out of home in my mid-20s due to not getting along with my dad,” Romel recalls.
“He would say some extremely hurtful things that started to impact me. But this ended up being the best decision I had made as I would honestly not be where I am today if I hadn’t made that decision.”
“He would say some extremely hurtful things that started to impact me. But this ended up being the best decision I had made as I would honestly not be where I am today if I hadn’t made that decision.”
“One thing I never anticipated out of MKR was a sense of my parents accepting me and my goals in life,” he says.
For more, pick up the latest copy of New Idea on sale now!