‘Time’s’ First Kid of the Year

Meet 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao, of Lone Tree, Colorado: Time magazine’s first Kid of the Year (see its December 2020 issue). Among her many contributions as a scientist and inventor, she created a phone and web device that can recognize early signs of cyberbullying. Currently, she is working on a tool to easily detect biocontaminants in water, such as parasites.

“My goal has really shifted not only from creating my own devices to solve the world’s problems but inspiring others to do the same as well,” Gitanjali said in her Time interview. “I really want to put out [the] message: If I can do it, you can do it and anyone can do it.”