The Pen Pal Program

Inspiring Students To Explore a Future in STEM

Letters to a Pre-Scientist connects students to STEM professionals through snail mail to broaden students ’ awareness of what STEM professionals look like and do at work and inspire all students to explore a future in STEM.

Registration for the 2022-23 school year is open!

Ready to become a STEM pen pal? Register yourself by clicking below!

What drives our work

Talent and potential are equally distributed in society, but opportunity is not.

We believe every student deserves engaging, high-quality STEM experiences regardless of where they live, what they look like, or what’s happening in the world.

The Power of Human Connection

— 2020-21, Teacher

“I love what LPS does for my students! I could not duplicate the variety of locations and scientists represented, their areas of science, and caliber of expertise without LPS. This opens windows that my students would never otherwise experience. There is no substitute for hearing from a scientist firsthand.”

— 2021-21, Student

“I thought scientists spent all their time in a lab, but now I know, that's not really true! My scientist goes on field trips to camp and observe nature, and records it in her notebook. She also went around the world to observe other things, or to study about them!"

— 2020-21, STEM pen pal

“I didn't realize how good it felt to mentor a growing mind. I'm going to continue to volunteer.”

— 2019-20, STEM pen pal

“Being a part of the LPS community this year was a phenomenal experience! Between writing letters, video chatting with my pre-scientist and her classmates, and taking over the LPS Instagram Story, this opportunity was unlike any other!”

Creating An Impact

Blog
Lex Long

2023-24 Recap: 23,984 LPS letters exchanged!

The 2023-24 school year raced by so quickly! Fortunately, it brought many smiles from pre-scientists and many milestones for Letters to a Pre-Scientist. For the first time ever, Letters to

Blog
Genevieve Bien-Aime

First Annual LPS Sticker Design Contest!

One of the many ways LPS chooses to unite our community is through our annual LPS program sticker. Every year, for the past four years, we’ve designed an official sticker

Blog
Jenelle Whitman

2023: Cultivating Connections Through 19,848 Letters

We started off 2023 with 33 Letter Opening Parties in seven states across the country: Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio and South Carolina. Nearly 2,000 middle and high school

Hear from us!

Subscribe to our newsletter for more impactful stories

Hear from us