ABC7 News Star: Patti Carothers, Founding Director of the Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair

MASTERFUL MENTOR: We all have that one teacher who left a lasting impression. For many Bay Area students, that teacher is Patti Carothers. She spent 38 years in the classroom sharing her love of science with high school students, encouraging their curiosity, and winning multiple awards for doing both. Outside of the classroom, Patti loves a good fair...a science fair, that is! She is the Founding Director of the Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair where she's helped mentor many students to international levels of science fair greatness.

As if we weren't already impressed, Patti also has the smarts to pass along her mentoring skills. She is the co-founder of Science Alliance, an award-winning program that trains high school students to mentor younger kids in scientific research. An undying dedication to teaching science is star-worthy enough, but we love Patti for something even bigger -- inspiring our next generation of innovators.

Meet stars from all around the Bay Area and nominate someone you know at abc7news.com/Stars