Abstract: Most secondary students are almost completely unable to describe what mathematicians do. It is unlikely that a student would desire to pursue a career of which they have no understanding. In this study, mathematics graduate students worked with 252 secondary students (Grades 10-12) for 10 hours a week for an entire school year, acting like mathematicians with the students. Post-survey shows that the students grew in their understanding of what mathematicians do. Most of them believed that they were good at mathematics, and more wanted to be a mathematician compared to before the intervention.

Key words: Mathematicians; Perceptions; Secondary students