Washington: Colorado resident Gitanjali Rao, a young scientist and inventor, has been named by TIME magazine as the first-ever ‘Kid of the Year’ for her “astonishing work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying.
“The world belongs to those who shape it. And however uncertain that world may feel at a given moment, the reassuring reality seems to be that each new generation produces more of what these kids have already achieved: positive impact, in all sizes,” Time commented.
Rao, 15, was selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees as TIME’s first-ever Kid of the Year. She was interviewed by actor and activist Angelina Jolie for the TIME special.
Observe, brainstorm, research, build and communicate, Rao said about her process during a virtual talk with Jolie.
Even over video chat, her brilliant mind and generous spirit shone through, along with her inspiring message to other young people: don’t try to fix every problem, just focus on one that excites you. If I can do it, she said in the interview, anybody can do it.
Rao said her generation is facing many problems that they have never seen before. We are facing old problems that still exist, like, we’re sitting here in the middle of a new global pandemic, and we’re also still facing human-rights issues. There are problems that we did not create but that we now have to solve, like climate change and cyberbullying with the introduction of technology, she said.
