About → Why Stellr

Why Stellr?

Stellr connects high school, college and professional life into a single community — so the path into a STEM career stops being a mystery. Here is what that means for you.

Students

The best of high-school STEM — and a head start on what comes next.

Stellr brings the most ambitious high-school STEM students together for cross-disciplinary challenges judged the way real projects are judged — by working professionals, in the room with your team.

Take part once and you are part of the community for good: alumni membership keeps you connected through college and into industry, with the mentors, events and opportunities that turn an interest in STEM into a career.

Top 1%

of high-school STEM achievers are part of the Stellr community.

Cross-disciplinary

Engineering, science, business and communication — in one challenge.

Real mentors

Industry professionals in the room with your team at every event.

Cover of Legacy RFP — South Dakota 2025

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Legacy RFP — South Dakota 2025

PDF · Stellr

Teachers

Bring real-world STEM into your classroom — with support at every step.

Stellr gives you open-ended, industry-grade challenges your students can take on at any ability level, plus the lessons, mentoring and CPD to deliver them with confidence.

A note on AI. We give educators the tools, lessons and support to use AI themselves — and to safely encourage their students to do so.

Read our approach
Joseph “Sepp” Sprietsma — College Career Pathways

Complex, open-ended challenges suited to students of every ability level.

An industry-simulation context that brings classroom learning to life.

A competitive setting that builds large-group communication and leadership.

CPD for you — attend as an educator and observe professional mentoring in action.

Parents

A safe, structured place for your child to do their most exciting work.

Stellr events are mentored, supervised and built around teamwork — a setting where students stretch themselves, meet like-minded peers from across the country, and discover what a STEM career can really look like.

My son described it as the most intense, crazy and unbelievable group project he has ever been a part of… It wasn’t just the work that he loved, it was the complexity around managing all the tasks and people while working toward one goal. He is really looking forward to next year!

Jason Zibart · 2025 South West Space Design Competition Parent

Safe & structured

Supervised, mentored events with clear safeguarding and a supportive team setting.

Peer networking

Your child meets ambitious, like-minded students from across the country.

Mentored environment

Industry professionals guide each team, modelling how real STEM work gets done.

Mentors

Spend a day with the next generation of STEM talent.

As a Stellr mentor you sit alongside student teams as they tackle real challenges — sharing how the profession actually works, and helping shape the engineers, scientists and leaders who follow you.

Alumni upgrade

From student to mentor, automatically.

Former student participants receive Alumni membership on graduating — staying connected to the Stellr community as they enter industry, and stepping back in to mentor the teams that follow them.

Donors

Fund the access that makes talent, not circumstance, the deciding factor.

Stellr is a registered 501(c)(3). Donations and sponsorships fund the scholarships, resources and access that let talented students take part regardless of circumstance — as we work to positively impact 100,000 students over the next decade.

Event sponsorship

Associate your brand with high-achieving STEM students and industry professionals.

Scholarship funding

Ensure talented students can participate regardless of financial circumstances.

Resource grants

Fund the materials and technology that make our challenges possible.

Legacy giving

Make a lasting contribution to STEM education across the US and beyond.

Make a donation

Full packages, reach statistics and impact data — sent straight to your inbox.

Find your place at Stellr.

Wherever you start — student, educator, parent, mentor or supporter — there is a way to be part of the community.