“I grew up Jewish and gay in Utah, so appreciating being different was a matter of survival. In fact, being able to capitalize on even an inkling of hope or to find positivity where others might see the opposite is, I’ve come to appreciate, my super human strength. I call myself a practicing optimist because having hope hasn’t always come easily. It’s a muscle I’ve had to exercise, but developing the skill of seeing what’s good saved my life, and has now even shaped what I do for a living.

So as wife and new mama, a human rights activist and the leader of the communications and marketing team for the U’s College of Fine Arts, I get to spend the majority of my waking hours sharing positivity. In my role as board chair of the LGBTQ advocacy organization, Equality Utah, I help turn the pain of inequality into the transformation of discriminatory policies, ultimately creating a more fair and just Utah. Here at the U, I not only get to promote the diverse array of arts experiences on campus, but I get to help illuminate how the arts go beyond just aesthetic and entertainment, and act as agents for change that shape our perceptions, our research, our understandings and our lives.

It’s a beautiful world and I’m just living in it.”

— Marina Gomberg, associate director of communications and marketing, University of Utah College of Fine Arts