New Jersey is where Thomas Edison, the "Wizard of Menlo Park," developed the incandescent light bulb and Albert Einstein delivered lectures on the theory of relativity. Thirteen of the the world's twenty largest pharmaceutical companies are headquartered here" "the medicine chest of the world." New Jersey also boasts the largest concentration of scientists and engineers pre square miles in the world. Yet, New Jersey is the national leader in exporting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professionals. The Governor's STEM Scholars (GSS) is working to address this paradox by engaging New Jersey's next generation of thought leaders. The Governor’s STEM Scholars is an innovative public-private partnership among the Research & Development Council of New Jersey, the New Jersey Office of the Governor, the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, and private employers designed to provide high-achieving STEM students in grade 10 through the doctoral level with an introduction to New Jersey’s STEM economy and to retain that talent in the State. It is at this intersection of government, academia, and industry that the program was conceived in 2014. Since then, choosing from thousands of applicants, the program has identified the top talent and has graduated nearly 500 Governor's STEM Scholars. The 2021 class is made up of 75 Scholars from all 21 New Jersey counties. The Governor's STEM Scholars is proud to attract a diverse cohort of 2021 Scholars: 68% identify as persons of color and 52% as female. In partial fulfillment of the program’s requirements, Scholars attend quarterly symposiums, field trips and site visits, fireside chats with STEM leaders, master classes, and other events, and produce a viable research project.