The long-lost art of letter writing is making a comeback at the Savannah 
River Site (SRS), where students are building real connections with professionals through the STEM Pals  Program. This yearlong initiative pairs K-12 classrooms with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS)  experts, giving students the chance to ask questions, explore career paths, and see the human side of  science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) experts meet their STEM pals from the Cyber  Academy of Excellence at Richmond County Technical Career Magnet School (RCTCM).  

A Pipeline of Future Cyber Defenders Launched during the COVID‑19  pandemic and revitalized in  2023 after reaching 1,000  students, the SRNS Education  Outreach Program now  engages an average of 500 600 students, 15–20 educators,  and 10–15 volunteers annually. 
In FY25, the program paired 21  SRS STEM professionals with  classrooms across Aiken,  Columbia and Richmond  counties. 

“Our STEM Pals initiative  makes it easy for employees to  volunteer and broaden students’  range of career possibilities as  they advance through school,”  said Cindy Hewitt, SRNS  Education Outreach Specialist. 

SRS relies on highly skilled cyber professionals to protect national security systems, critical infrastructure  and nuclear materials. With cyber talent shortages growing nationwide, exposing students early to real world cyber roles helps cultivate future analysts, engineers and incident responders for mission success. 

This year, those lessons came to life for 40 high school students at the Cyber Academy of Excellence at  Richmond County Technical Career Magnet (RCTCM) School. After months of correspondence, students  met Benjamin Jollie, SRNS Computer Security Engineer; Henry Bryant, SRNS Cyber Defense; and Paul  Smith, SRNS Network Security Team during the program’s annual reveal event.  STEM Pals Javon Johnson, Zac Brown, Smith, Jollie, Bryant,  Elijah Young and Mazio Frails.  RCTCM Cyber Academy of Excellence students listen to SRNS  panelists during the reveal.  

“Students need help connecting the dots,” said Smith. “When young people feel free to ask questions, they  discover that cybersecurity isn’t mysterious, but meaningful, approachable, and within their reach. For 75  years, SRS has shaped this community. If we want the next generation to carry that work forward, we must  show up for them now.”  Cyber Academy of Excellence Instructor Datinya Caviness praised the partnership for giving students direct  access to industry professionals at a pivotal moment in their academic journey.  

“The pen‑pal format created sustained, authentic relationships. Unlike a single guest speaker or one‑time  assignment, students had the opportunity to build rapport over time,” she said. “As the semester  progressed, students became more confident asking technical questions, requesting advice, and  challenging themselves to learn more so they could better understand their Pal’s work. Several students  who were unsure about cybersecurity began expressing strong interest in cyber defense, network security  or incident response.”  Bruce Page, SRNS Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, said, “Programs like this provide a  powerful intrinsic reward for our cyber professionals, who take great pride in mentoring the next generation  of technologists. By breaking down concepts such as threat detection, system hardening, and secure  digital habits, our experts help students build early awareness of the security mindset that is essential to  protecting our operations.” 

To spark a pen pal relationship with an SRNS expert, educators can fill out an interest form. To see the  impact firsthand, watch the 2024 STEM Pal reveal with Jackson STEM Magnet Middle School.