Gitanjali Rao speaks at the 2018 MAKERS Conference, which seeks to advance women in the workplace, February 6, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Rachel Murray/Getty Images)
For the better part of a century, TIME has selected a single Person of the Year—someone who has had, for better or worse, an extraordinary amount of influence on the world. But for the first time ever, TIME also announced a Kid of the Year: 15-year-old scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao of Lone Tree, Colorado, for her prestigious accomplishments across multiple fields in science and technology.
This wasn’t the first time Rao made headlines either. Only two years ago, she was recognized for creating an effective water testing device in response to the Flint Water Crisis at the age of 13. Rao’s other major contributions include working on a system that can detect early opioid addiction as well as creating an AI-based program that can detect and deter cyberbullying in teens.
What led TIME to choose Rao for Kid of the Year above an impressive group of candidates, however, was her willingness and ability “to show other kids how to tap into their curiosity, aspiring to create a generation of inventors.” In her interview with TIME, Rao speaks of her partnerships with numerous programs, schools, and institutes to encourage achievement in other young people around the world. To date, she has mentored over 30,000 students around the world in an effort to spur innovation and tackle big world problems.
When asked about her process for tackling such problems, she goes through the list: “observe, brainstorm, research, build and communicate.” Rao hopes to continue making breakthroughs in fields she is passionate about while encouraging other young students to do so as well.
STEM Scouts and Scouting
One program that Rao belongs to is STEM Scouts, a program launched by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to encourage children to pursue careers in STEM-related fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) for the betterment of the United State’s future success.
The American Legion has long sponsored the BSA, including over 2,500 Scouting units of various types across the country.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
