The end of 2026 is just around the corner, and at In2science that means semester 2 placements are wrapping up. Our mentors have spent the last few months sparking curiosity, building confidence, and showing students that STEM is a world they can belong to. At In2science we are extremely grateful to the mentors, teachers, and students that participate in In2science and bring enthusiasm and a passion for STEM to each session. In Semester 2, In2science hosted 95 placements across 37 schools, engaging with over 1400 students. As we close out 2026, the In2science team is excited to celebrate everything this community has achieved together.
To capture the spirit of the semester, we asked some of our dedicated mentors to share the best thing about their experience.
Fazeela, an eMentor from Deakin University, reflected on the joy of connection: “Getting to know my mentee has been a delight. She is a bright and confident student, and I feel happy to be providing guidance to her.”
For Bella from The University of Melbourne, mentoring was as much about community as it was about STEM: “Getting to know the students and sharing my own journey with them, hoping my experiences might inspire or help them. I’ve also really enjoyed building genuine connections with the other mentors, teachers, and the coordinator.”
Jaydeci from La Trobe University found meaning in helping students express their knowledge: “I enjoy helping the kids, a lot of them understand the concepts — they just struggle to write and get their thoughts down. So I love helping them with that! But so far I have enjoyed that they have become more confident and open to help. There are particular students who in the beginning really did not want to have anything to do with me, but now they are more open to conversation and willing to go over their work with me.”
For Angus from RMIT University, the magic was in watching students realise their own capability: “Answering questions about university and seeing the students engage with science and understand. Helping the students to come to the conclusion themself and realise they have the understanding and capability to get there.”
And Chethana from Deakin University highlighted process of building trust: “One of the biggest and nicest things has been students slowly building trust in me as a mentor to actively seek help with their work. They would ask questions from me if they don’t understand anything genuinely, and I would help them understand the concepts with simple scenarios, which helped them understand the science concepts better.”
As we look forward next year, we’re celebrating not just the numbers, but the relationships, breakthroughs, and moments of growth that make In2science what it is.
If you would like your school to partner with In2science in 2027, reach out to us today!
