REEFlections Testimonios: Exploring undergraduate experiences in navigating virtual scientific storytelling

University of California, Santa Barbara’s Research Experience & Education Facility (REEF) develops strong undergraduate educators at the forefront of connecting the public with ongoing marine science research. To honor these unique students, in 2019 I founded an annual symposium, REEFlections, to involve REEF undergraduate researchers in honing their research communication skills within their academic community. However, this year brought highly unusual circumstances for students (e.g., a global pandemic and social unrest). I will discuss participant testimonios (a “(re)telling” of a lived experience) to examine how the 2020 REEFlections cohort persevered during such an unusual time in our world.