In the “fake news” era and the blurring between facts and opinion, public engagement from physics departments has become an important task. Additionally, funding agencies are highlighting the importance of engaging the public’s interest in physics and reaching out to diverse populations. In university settings, we are seeing an increasing number of physics students choosing to participate in public engagement activities. However, the impact that participation in these programs have on the facilitators is largely understudied. In this study we seek to understand university students’ negotiation of physics identity after they participate as facilitators in three informal physics programs.