Vanessa Gomez Brake knew she was an atheist from the age of 12. 

Despite majoring in religious studies, she didn’t see becoming a religious leader as an option, let alone earning a national award for her work, because it was unheard of. That is, until she became the first.

In February, she was named chaplain of the year by the Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education, becoming the first humanist to win the award. The award recognizes a member who has made significant contributions on campus and/or nationally.

“I can’t explain the affirmation, how that really feels for me to be seen,” said Gomez Brake, senior associate dean of religious life at USC. “I’m grateful that I have such a great network of chaplains across the nation and that many of them agree that I’m doing good work.”

The associate dean grew up Catholic, and, while she still considers herself “culturally” Catholic and attends mass, she has embraced humanism since she was in college.

Gomez Brake defined humanism as someone who doesn’t have a “supernatural outlook” but embraces human connection and community. She said despite having several years of experience working in religious services at both Stanford and UC Berkeley, she didn’t feel recognized until coming to USC, where she became the first humanist to serve as the chief religious officer at any United States university.

“It took a while for me to sort of get over that impostor syndrome, because a lot of people didn’t think I should be in this role, or at least that was my perception,” Gomez Brake said. “By the time I got here at USC, I was so well qualified, and yet I couldn’t see it for myself. But here I am, eight years into the job, and I just feel so confident in it that I’m really enjoying it.”

‘Spiritual health literally is for everyone’

Being a part of the humanist community has allowed Gomez Brake to connect with students of all religious beliefs and backgrounds, she said. In her role, Gomez Brake helps manage around 80 student religious groups, provides individuals with support through one-on-one sessions and advocates for new religious spaces and accommodations on campus.

“Spiritual health literally is for everyone,” Gomez Brake said. “Just like we care about our physical health and our mental health, our spiritual health is something to prioritize as well. If we want this holistic well-being, that is a very important component, and it often goes neglected.” 

Gomez Brake praised USC’s efforts to promote religious diversity, including overhauling a Muslim prayer space in January, compared to universities she had previously worked at. She said ORSL is not specifically tied to any religion, or to religion at all, allowing it to serve every student on campus at a time when younger generations are increasingly moving away from traditional religions. According to the Survey Center on American Life, more than one-third of Gen-Z are religiously unaffiliated, with 18% of Gen-Z identifying as agnostic or atheist.

“We don’t necessarily orient ourselves around this god question,” Gomez Brake said. “We want to see how we can support everyone in meaning-making, because that is a universal human experience — whether religious, spiritual or secular — we all have to make meaning out of our lives.”

A role model on campus

Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni said Gomez Brake does the best work he has seen in his 20 years at ORSL and, in particular, serves as a welcoming and understanding presence for students.

“You have to have an open heart and an open mind to do this work. I think most people on university campuses have an open mind, but Vanessa really has an open heart, and people recognize that in her,” Soni said. “Those are things that she brings to the office that we so desperately need, and because of it, our office is able to do so much more than we were able to do before.”

Robin Mitchell Stroud, director of student engagement programs for ORSL, described Gomez Brake as the glue that holds the office together and as “really skilled” at connecting individuals and working with other University offices on events or programs.

Stroud said the associate dean’s role as the advisor to the Native American Student Assembly and work with other underrepresented groups on campus has allowed her to become a lifeline for many students and communities.

Stroud and Gomez Brake received an Inspiring Campus Change Grant from Interfaith America, their work focuses on dietary and training programs, assessments, and offering additional syllabi languages. 

“She’s a humanist chaplain, and so she’s just very good about centering voices not only for students but for other people who are, I will just say, often overlooked in those kinds of conversations,” Stroud said.

Soni said her award represents USC’s effort to “pioneer” a new way to view religious and spiritual life.

“This recognition was an important reminder that you don’t have to be theistic or formally religious to be spiritual or be interested in religion or interested in making the world a better place,” Soni said. “[Gomez Brake] models that so well.”