Benjamin Lostheart is a visionary educator, curriculum designer, and community advocate who is reshaping what education looks like for youth on the margins. He is of Choctaw heritage from Oklahoma on his maternal side and Quechua ancestry from Peru on his father’s side -roots that deeply inform his work, values, and approach to leadership. Drawing from these Indigenous traditions, Benjamin grounds his mission in intergenerational wisdom, resilience, and the belief that learning should be liberatory and healing.
As the Founder and Executive Director of Day One Tech S.T.E.A.M., he leads a mission-driven organization that blends hands-on STEM education with trauma-informed care, mentorship, and culturally grounded pathways to opportunity.
Benjamin believes every child deserves a “Day One” a fresh start, a safe space, and a system that sees their potential from the beginning. His leadership is rooted not just in innovation but also in personal and professional experience, making his work a powerful blueprint for equitable, healing-centered learning.
Benjamin has developed and led some of Portland’s most innovative youth-centered programs:
Benjamin was born in Los Angeles, California, and moved to Inner Northeast Portland with his mother at the age of 5, growing up across Albina, Alberta, and St. Johns. His childhood stretched from the apartments of Columbia Villa to the streets of Alberta and Albina, giving him a firsthand understanding of both the richness of community and the long-term impacts of displacement that reshaped Portland.
He experienced many of the same barriers facing today’s youth, including systemic racism in schools, over-policing, housing instability, undiagnosed neurodivergence, and a lack of representation in spaces of opportunity. He also witnessed the large-scale displacement of Black families from Inner Northeast Portland and the continued movement of Black and Brown communities across the region, often into East County neighborhoods such as Rockwood, Centennial, Powellhurst-Gilbert, and Gresham.
These lived experiences directly inform Benjamin’s work today. He focuses on East County as a critical area for rebuilding community infrastructure and opportunity for families who have been historically pushed to the margins. His work is not only programmatic but systemic, centered on creating environments where youth and families can access meaningful pathways in education, technology, and community engagement.
In addition to leading youth-centered STEM and workforce programs, Benjamin works closely with city council members and local leaders in both Portland and Gresham. He is actively engaged with neighborhood associations and participates in forward-looking initiatives, including community development conversations shaping the future of East County. He also collaborates directly with schools, districts, and educators to design and implement systems that align with existing structures while improving outcomes for students.
Through this combined approach, Benjamin is committed to building sustainable, culturally responsive systems that not only serve youth in the present but help redefine what opportunity looks like for the next generation.
Benjamin’s newest initiatives continue to push boundaries and spark systemic change:
Each project is part of Benjamin’s vision: to create a resilient, self-sustaining ecosystem where education, economic opportunity, and community healing are all within reach, starting from Day One.
Benjamin believes collaboration is the key -actual change happens when leaders, educators, and community members work together to form a village of care, connection, and empowerment. His vision for the future centers on building Mini STEM Labs across East County, repurposing retail spaces, unused offices, and vacant storefronts transformed into neighborhood hubs of innovation, access, and growth.
These spaces teach young people how to manage any technology. That means building critical thinking skills, informed decision-making, and adapting to a rapidly changing world. With the rise of artificial intelligence and emerging digital tools,
Benjamin sees a future that can’t fully be predicted but can be prepared for.
His ultimate goal is to build a world-class, OMSI-like facility in East County: a permanent, hands-on STEM discovery space rooted in equity, culture, and real-life application. This flagship space will serve as a launchpad for duplicating the structure and methodology in other cities across the country, bringing culturally grounded, trauma-informed STEM education to the youth who need it most, wherever they are. In additon to mini STEM hubs that communites can access tech edcuation and fun.
Benjamin is a proud father of two sons who represent the next generation of thinkers and builders. His oldest, Benjamin Jr., is a Computer Scientist and programmer who graduated from Portland State University. His youngest, Jalen, studies Architecture at the University of Oregon.
Their journeys reflect Benjamin's mission, to ensure that today's youth have the tools, support, and space to dream boldly and confidently move forward.
"My living role models are my sons, whose grit, positivity, and vision have shown me that anything is possible. At their age, I was navigating a much different path, but watching them grow with purpose and passion has revealed possibilities I didn’t know existed until much later in life."
"I also draw deep inspiration from two powerful figures: Malcolm X, whose commitment to self-education, transformation, and community empowerment resonates deeply with my work in building systems of opportunity for underserved youth; and Fred Rogers, whose unwavering belief in the dignity of every child and his gentle, trauma-informed approach to education continue to influence the way I design programs rooted in compassion, healing, and imagination."
-Benjamin Lostheart
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