by KARA SCHWEISS
Brenton Gomez is a modern-day Renaissance man, with talents and interests ranging from music to skateboarding to advocacy and global cultures. He graduated with honors in 2017, earning a degree in international and global studies while balancing his studies, employment and creative pursuits, including producing music solo or with a group called M34N STR33T.
“It was kind of hectic back then. The university’s kind of been a launch pad for me for a lot of things, and then also just kind of been in proximity while I’ve been doing the things that I love,” he said. “I never thought I’d end up at a science center.”
Gomez serves in a community engagement role at the Kiewit Luminarium, an interactive science center located along the RiverFront in downtown Omaha. Since 2023, the facility has offered more than 100 hands-on exhibits for learners of all ages. Despite never having envisioned himself in a science center, Gomez’s work developing original programming that connects STEM to people has proven to be a strong fit.
“I never stopped imagining how I want the world to be, or my community to be,” Gomez said. “Someone saw the work I was doing in the community and thought it’d be good for me to step into a programming role to bring the community into the science center.”
Hired shortly before the Luminarium opened, Gomez was given the freedom to develop original programming. One project connected his passions for skateboarding and public spaces. He’s president of the Nebraska Public Skate Park Council and has helped develop skate spaces throughout Omaha, including Lynch Park and the RiverFront’s skate plaza. Gomez also hosts a Nebraska Public Media podcast on Midwest skateboarding culture called “Center of Gravity.”
“I think that imagination and curiosity is a big reason why innovators are the way that they are,” he said. “If we all could have a little bit more imagination in any type of work or discipline, we’d probably all be a little bit better off.”
Gomez said one particularly impactful experience was studying abroad in Peru after learning about Latin American history and politics in his advanced classes. The experience provided context for classroom content about how countries were developed and colonized as well as contemporary issues related to international relations.
“(It) has really been important for me as an individual to be able to navigate this world in every realm,” he said.
He added that he appreciated the opportunity to share the experience with peers who had similar curiosity about the world.
“At the back end of my degree, I started getting in classes with people who were just as energized about some of this stuff as I was, and these folks are still friends of mine to the day,” he said. “One of the most important parts of the university is finding community. You’re around a bunch of people that care about the same thing you do with the same amount of intentionality.”
