[Image above] Gitanjali Rao was named Time’s first-ever Kid of the Year for her scientific work and leadership skills. Credit: TIME, YouTube
There are endless debates on the internet about when is the prime of someone’s life. Is it your 20s, when you have time to travel? Is it your 30s, when you’ve started to establish a career and save money? What about your 60s, after entering retirement and being able to pursue hobbies that you’ve always wanted to try?
I would argue that for the demographic cohort of Gen Z, teenage years are definitely their Time.
In 2018, Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school students were featured on the cover of Time for their gun control advocacy after a Valentine’s Day shooting at their school claimed the lives of 17 students and faculty members.
In 2019, 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg secured the Time cover in honor of her being named Time’s Person of the Year for her work raising awareness of the effects of climate change.
This year, another young adult earned the coveted position of the Time cover for being named Time’s first-ever Kid of the Year—Gitanjali Rao.
Gitanjali Rao: A future materials scientist in the making
Gitanjali Rao is a 15-year-old Indian American scientist and inventor from Colorado. If you are a long-time reader of CTT, you may remember Rao from our post in 2017, when she earned the title of America’s Top Young Scientist in the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her invention of a carbon nanotube sensor that detects lead in water.
“There are over 5,000 water systems in the U.S. alone with lead contamination issues. Timely detection and preventive action can help mitigate the problem, but today it takes a long time and requires chemical labs and expensive equipment,” she explains in a video on her project.
Rao worked with 3M scientists to develop her carbon nanotube device, which pairs with a mobile app on a smartphone that displays the water’s lead contamination status. In our report on Rao’s success, we noted that we were “pretty sure we’ll be hearing more about Rao in a few years.”
Well, those few years have passed, and we are definitely hearing more about her!
Becoming Time’s Kid of the Year
When Time named Thunberg Person of the Year in 2019, she was the first individual under age 25 to receive the title. “Her movement to stop climate change, among other world-shifting youth movements of recent years, make clear that young people carry tremendous influence today,” Time says in its announcement of the new award. So, in partnership with Nickelodeon, Time decided to create the Kid of the Year award as “a barometer for the rising leaders of America’s youngest generation.”
An advisory committee including representatives from the Special Olympics and Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA helped judge the more than 5,000 U.S.-based nominees on the positive impact they had this year and signs they will continue to lead in the future. A committee of kids, including Nickelodeon and Disney stars, then worked with comedian Trevor Noah to narrow down the finalists and select the ultimate Kid of the Year.
Of the five finalists, Rao stood out for her leadership skills. “Rao not only researches scientific tools such as artificial intelligence and carbon nanotube sensor technology and applies them to problems she sees in everyday life … She also shows other kids how to tap into their curiosity, aspiring to create a generation of innovators,” the Time announcement says.
Actress and activist Angelina Jolie talked with Rao over Zoom to learn more about her invention process, the impacts of her work so far, and her goals for the future. The transcript of the interview is available here, and the video below lets you hear from Rao directly.
Of course, the other four finalists are remarkable young people as well—to make it that far out of a pool of 5,000 is a significant achievement! Learn about the other four finalists here by scrolling past the interview with Rao.