“My second year in the OCSEF Mentor Match program was amazing! I wanted to come back for a second year because I truly believe OCSEF gives young students an opportunity to engage in science research and get a feeling of some of the many ways that science is applicable in society, but it also proves to them that they are capable of succeeding in STEM. Most of our students had never experienced a science fair event so this gave them a chance to learn about a field they were interested in and produce a project of their own. Seeing the wide variety of projects that our kids came up with was so cool! They learned so much during their experience and taught me so much in the process; they actually inspired me to begin doing particle physics research with a professor of mine at UCI. I’m extremely grateful for all of the support we received from OCSEF and the OCSEF Board. Arnold, Morris, and Mark volunteered to visit our campus on multiple occasions and sat down with every single group to provide invaluable feedback. Our kids loved having that kind of support and it helped keep them motivated when things went virtual. I’m also grateful for the generous funding from OCSEF and UCI’s CalTeach that helped us pay for the necessary tools and equipment. My favorite part of this experience was seeing our kids smile and have fun exploring science.”