Planetarium Crew
The Orange Coast College Planetarium is operated by a dedicated crew of student workers. It is our goal to provide a fun and educational experience to everyone who comes aboard for a cruise among the stars.
History of the OCC Planetarium 
Planetarium Crew 
Jessica Artinger
Manager, Interim
Jessica oversees day-to-day operations including dome operations, building oversight, visitor contact, exhibit design, outreach, and show programming. Jessica is a highly decorated alumna of OCC's Astronomy department and received her BS in Astrophysics with a minor in Geophysics and Planetary Physics from UCLA in 2019. At UCLA, she was the Lead Fabrication Engineer of the NASA-funded ELFIN CubeSat Mission and also helped organize the APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics with a focus on increasing participation of community college women.
She received her MS in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Thermal and Fluids Engineering from Cal State Fullerton in 2023. Jessica has worked in the planetarium since January 2022 presenting and writing dome shows and she assumed the manager role in June 2023. In her free time, she plays her French horn in community bands and orchestras throughout Orange County and Los Angeles.
Valerie Arriero
STEM Coordinator, Interim
Valerie helps oversee day-to-day operations, coordinate STEM events for students in elementary to community college, and field trip coordination and scheduling. She is a first-generation and a community college transfer student. In 2020, Valerie received a BS in Applied Mathematics & Statistics with a double minor in Physics and Astronomy from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She then continued onto a MS program at California State University, Los Angeles for Physics and defended her thesis in 2022. Valerie plans to continue her higher education in the Fall of 2024 by pursuing a PhD in Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder. During her time at CSULA, she earned a year-long fellowship at NASA JPL researching the importance of clouds in atmospheres of exoplanets. She hopes to become an exoplanet cloud specialist in the future!
Valerie also does STEM mentoring through social media, where she also journals about her journey through her academic career. She strives to be the role model she needed when she was younger and navigating academia.
Student Employees
Presenters
AJ Juarez
AJ is an astrophysics student at OCC and has been working at the planetarium since March 2023. AJ writes the monthly newsletter, owing to their extensive journalism background. They are an accomplished public speaker, winning first place in the Orange County YouthSpeak Speech Contest in 2020. AJ is president of the Astronomy Club and has assisted in programming a lunar satellite for GLEE. As a first-generation college student, they strive to inspire Latinx participation in STEM. AJ was accepted to UC Berkeley's prestigious 2024 ASSURE summer research program. AJ plans on transferring to a four-year university for a BS in Physics with the eventual goal of becoming an astrophysics professor and science communicator.
Lisa Huynh
Lisa is an astrophysics student at OCC and has been with the planetarium since April of 2023. She has served as both Secretary and President of the Astronomy Club on campus. Lisa is an NCAS Alumni who participated in the 2022 NCAS Missions 1 and 2, where she competed with a team in an engineering design challenge as the Lead Test Engineer. She has assisted in programming a Lunar Satellite for NASA's GLEE program and is currently working on astrophysics research to present at the OCC Research Symposium.
Lily Tan
Lily is an astrophysics and engineering student at OCC, originally from Myanmar. She joined the crew in November 2023. She spent almost two years volunteering to teach english to marginalized children who were affected by the unstable political environment in her country. Since she’s been at OCC, she’s done competitive debate for the OCC forensics team and served as a board member for the Rocketry Club. She currently serves as the Astronomy Club’s treasurer. She’s been volunteering to help out with public telescope nights since 2023 and is always ecstatic to talk space. Lily spent her high school years preparing to go to art school before she discovered she could build rockets (she only paints in her free time now).
Connor Schwengel
Connor is currently studying astrophysics at OCC. Joining the Planetarium crew in November 2023, Connor uses his experience in photography and graphic design to help create graphics for the Planetarium in addition to his regular duties of presenting shows and leading field trips. He has substantial experience working with children through his volunteer work at K-12 schools. Connor hopes to transfer to a four-year university to pursue degrees in physics and astronomy and eventually become an astrophysics professor.
Annah Brice
Annah is an Italian major at OCC and plans to transfer to UCLA for linguistics. Annah has been with the planetarium since January 2024 and is presenting shows, as well as creating social media content. She took part in the OCC study abroad program in Florence, Italy, in the summer of 2023 and was awarded the OCC study abroad scholarship in her program. She is very enthusiastic about astronomy and stellar photography, as well as the history of the constellations in the night sky. In the future, Annah plans to travel the world teaching English as a second language.
Gift Shop Attendants
Will Vu
Will is a Business Economics student at OCC and has been working at the planetarium since November 2022. He is a first generation college student and plans to transfer to UCLA to finish his bachelors in Business Economics. Will is a part of OCC’s honor program where he is the director of marketing for Alpha Beta Gamma, the business honor society. He also serves as a student senator with the Associated Students of Orange Coast College, a governing body that is involved with writing and passing resolutions, student government policies, and approving financial allocations to OCC clubs and programs. After completing college Will plans on pursuing a career in business analytics.
Sander Shin
Sander is a Biology major at OCC and plans to transfer to CPP for the Animal Science B.S. Pre Vet/Graduate school option or UCD for the Animal Science B.S. After receiving a Bachelor's degree, he plans to get into UCD’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program. Field of specialty still has not been decided yet. Sander has been working since January 2024 in the planetarium’s gift shop as well as volunteering at OC Animal Care center. In the future, Sander plans to become a veterinarian as well as having a backyard cat sanctuary for stray cats and animals needing temporary shelter and food.
Student Employment
Are you an OCC student interested in working at the Planetarium? We hire students as retail workers and docents for public hours, field trips, and special events. Hours are flexible around class schedules and extracurriculars, up to 19 hours/week during the semester.
Applicants with experience in public speaking, working with children, and completed course work in astronomy will be preferred.
Before applying, make sure to find out if you qualify for the Federal Work Study program (details below).
Once you have completed your application please fill out our pre-interview questionnaire and email it to planetarium@occ.cccd.edu
For more general information on student employment, visit the Student Employment Program website or contact:
Federal Work-Study
Federal Work-Study, also referred to as FWS, is one of the three major federal student aid programs from the U.S. Department of Education. It is designed to provide part-time employment to students who have established significant financial need according to federal guidelines. The federal government pays a percentage of the student's salary; the school pays the remainder. FWS is part of the total financial aid package and is not intended to be the sole source of assistance. Many students either seek a position related to their career objective or seek positions that offer skill development. In either case, the FWS Program is intended to provide a balance between the interests of the student and the needs of the department.
In order to qualify, you must:
- Complete your FAFSA application
- You must accept your federal work-study award upon receiving
- Must complete an online employment application
- Include any employment or volunteer history you have
- Award Letter confirming you have been awarded FWS for 2023-2024
- Class schedule must be attached to the application
Student Assistants
Student employment provides an opportunity to earn money and continue your education, to train with people who manage the day-to-day business of the institution you attend, and to combine your academic study with on-the-job experience. Job opportunities under this program offer you temporary employment with the Coast Community College District. Employment can range from summer jobs to positions that last as long as you are a student. These employment opportunities can be related to your academic field of study, but do not need to be.
In order to qualify, you must be:
- A student enrolled in a minimum of 12 units during Fall and/or Spring semester – must have 12 units in Spring to work during the summer and 12 units in Fall to work during intercession
- Must complete an online employment application
- Include any employment or volunteer history you have
- Class schedule showing 12 units of enrollment must be attached to the application
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Completion of FAFSA application (international students excluded from this requirement)