Robert Barker/University Photography

Kristina Brooks '12 reacts to news that she will perform live on "Oprah" on Nov. 5.

Robert Barker/University Photography

Grammy Award-winning gospel star Benjamin "BeBe" Winans surprises Kristina Brooks '12 with news that she was named a semifinalist for Oprah Winfrey's Karaoke Challenge.

One minute, Kristina Brooks was finishing an animal science lab. The next, she was a semifinalist on Oprah Winfrey's Karaoke Challenge Contest.

Right at the end of a Cornell lab on Oct. 30, Brooks, a sophomore animal science major from Peekskill, N.Y., learned that she will sing in round one of the contest on Winfrey's internationally syndicated television show.

Brooks was one of 5,000 contestants nationwide to send in an audition tape. Last week, when her class had ended, a film crew from the show -- led by Grammy Award-winning gospel star Benjamin "BeBe" Winans -- swooped into her class in Morrison Hall and delivered the good news.

Lecturer Jim Giles and Mike Van Amburgh, associate professor of animal science, were in on the surprise.

Winans, pretending to be a guest professor, entered the class. After a minute he approached Brooks and revealed his true identity. "Kristina, you are going to 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,'" he told her. "My name is BeBe Winans. Because of your presentation ..."

"Oh, my God!" Brooks exclaimed, gasping and covering her mouth.

Winans continued, "... you have become one of the semifinalists for the Karaoke Challenge."

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed again.

"Congratulations!" finished Winans.

The show will air live Thursday, Nov. 5, at 4 p.m. on WSYR-TV (Channel 9) in Syracuse and WBNG-TV (Channel 12) in Binghamton.