Today we’d like to introduce you to Kamey Gomez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kamey. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
At the age of ten, I discovered my voice in my East Harlem apartment where I was born and raised. My brother, who became a member of the Crips gang at 13 years old and his friends were doing a rap cipher in my living room, and I overheard them. Inspired by their ability to rhyme and captivate each other with their words, I was so inspired and knew that I wanted to do something similar. I felt like the men in my life were oblivious to what I attempted to tell them as a little girl. I desperately tried to tell my brother to leave gang life and my father to leave drugs. I felt like I needed to find my voice and an outlet to express myself. I began creatively writing as a result of assignments at school but managed to be featured in Slice Magazine for my short story “See The Sunrise.” I transitioned into writing raps which eventually turned into spoken word poetry. It was my freshman year of high school where I decided to create my first passion project and go on the “My Shine Speaking Tour” — where I shared my spoken word poetry that explained how I become an alchemist in my life — which I defined as someone who turns negative experiences into golden opportunity. It was at that moment that I made it my mission to transform my trauma into a connection with people by using what I had found. my voice! During the same exact year of the speaking tour, I was evicted from my apartment in East Harlem and moved to the Bronx. It was a very difficult adjustment for me to make because the culture was so different and I really prided myself on being from Harlem because my experiences there made me who I am.
However, the move to The Bronx was even more motivation to pursue my purpose and escape my circumstance. The following year provided me with an opportunity to host the very same women empowerment summit that I had performed at — the Sista 2 Sista Summit in Brooklyn, NY. This moment allowed me to recognize that being on stage hosting is when i felt the most alive and in flow. I felt like my passion and my purpose were aligning and this was with the help of former organization, The Future Project which I was introduced to my freshman year. My junior year of high school, I was invited to participate in the inspirED social emotional learning campaign led by the Yale school of emotional intelligence and Facebook. I served as a student consultant for the campaign, a panelist with Lady Gaga and Solidad O’Brien at Yale University, was featured in Web MD’s series on social emotional learning, and later hosted the launch of campaign at Facebook’s headquarters in San Francisco. Faced with the decision of applying to college, I was hesitant because it didn’t hold much importance in my family.
However, attending the top 3 public school in New York City ranked by The NY Times, (the NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies,) the rigor of the academic culture left me without a choice. I accepted a scholarship at Syracuse University and was on the road to be a first generation college graduate of 2020; little did I know I would become a first generation college graduate of 2019! Before I left for school, at the age of 17, I received an opportunity to serve as an on-air talent for Revolt TV’s show, Revolt Live — where I saw that event hosting and on-air hosting could create the perfect love child… me! I moved on to college where I became the primary face on campus for events and celebrity interviews and really established my brand.
During my time at Syracuse, I interviewed entertainers like Charlamagne The God, Rotimi, Sonny Digital, Derek Luke and Deb Antey to name a few. I also was able to land internships at Roc Nation where I traveled from Syracuse to NYC each week via bus in order to maintain being a student, but also pursue my dreams of establishing myself within the entertainment industry. I was also able to learn from personalities at Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club where I served as a production and social media intern one month after my Roc Nation experience as a marketing/digital marketing/A&R intern. During my sophomore year, I discovered my love for giving back when I visited Puerto Rico for the very first time and helped conduct disaster relief for the aftermaths of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. During my Junior year, I spent a semester in Los Angeles where I worked with OWN TV and Releve Entertainment for the show “Chad Loves Michelle” and other shows in development as a production coordinator. When I returned home, I created the first ever toy drive for what is now, The Kamey Gomez Foundation. This toy drive catered to low-income elementary school students in The Bronx. In the Spring of 2019, I returned to Syracuse University and graduated! The Kamey Gomez Foundation has now gone on to have two annual toy drives in The Bronx and one Backpack Drive in East Harlem.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Growing up, I had no mentors, no connections to the entertainment industry — no one to really show me what a successful path could look like. I looked to entertainers like JLO for inspiration. I spent a lot of time googling and YouTubing how to do things such as edit videos or gain opportunities. It was hard because I felt like I had a vision, but no guidance or direction.
As a dreamer and creative person, I always had so many ideas that I wanted to pursue but felt limited in my resources. My elementary/middle school didn’t challenge me academically and had no extra curriculars for me to explore my creativity. I had to learn and do things at home — usually in my bathroom because I didn’t have my own room. My bathroom became my office. I would do skits and commercials in there and pretty much practice using my personality.
I did these things while going to sleep nervous that my brothers, who were in the streets would be killed because of the neighborhood we lived in. My brothers did end up getting stabbed, jumped, shot/shot at, sliced with a box cutter etc. I often battled in my head with the trauma around me and the fantasy of living my dream life. Most times, it felt like success or positivity wasn’t possible for my life but deep down, I felt like there had to be a way.
Please tell us about your work.
– I’m a host, media personality, and philanthropist.
– I host events in order to give audiences a compelling, unforgettable experience that will inspire them to create lives others deem impossible.
– I elicit stories from entertainers through interviewing to allow audiences to inhale media differently and be entertained.
– What sets me a part from others is my story, my enthusiasm — the fact that my brand is a symbol of positivity and hope for people just like me.
– I provide resources to under privileged communities that have shaped the person I am today. What sets me a part is that I’m on the inside looking in, opposed to the outside looking in and I am easily able to identify the needs of my communities.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from my childhood is when I was in 5th grade and wanted to go to Washington D.C. for my “senior trip.” This was the year President Obama was elected in office. Instead, my 5th grade class were going to the Medieval Times. I created a petition to visit Washington D.C., had my entire grade sign it, wrote a letter to my principal explaining why we should go, wrote a letter to President Obama and he responded! A day after my birthday, June 3rd, 2008 — we were on our way to Washington D.C! This was the first time I recognized the power of possibility and shooting your shot.
Contact Info:
- Website: kameygomez.com
- Email: kameygomez@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kameygomez, @kameygomezfoundation
- Other: www.youtube.com/user/xoDollieMonster
Image Credit:
Bryan Cerda, Underscore Ave, LLC., Eduardo Mota
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
