Congratulations are in order for 15-year-old Heman Bekele. The talented young scientist has been named TIME Magazine’s 2024 Kid of the Year.
“It’s an incredible feeling, it’s surreal,” Bekele told the outlet in regards to his honor. “To be honest, I haven’t even taken it in yet.”
Bekele first made headlines at the age of 14 when he was named America’s Top Young Scientist after securing victory in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Bekele made history with his groundbreaking creation, a Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS), that will hopefully, one day, bring relief to those who are suffering with basal and squamous cell skin cancers. In addition to being set apart from his competitors with the win, Bekele also won a cash prize of $25,000 in order to help further his research.
In regards to his invention, Bekele humbly told TIME’s Jeffrey Kluger during a visit to the lab where he’s conducting his research that, “Anybody could do what I did. I just came up with an idea. I worked towards that idea, and I was able to bring it to life.”
Bekele’s interest in science came at a young age when at five-years-old, he began experimenting with household cleaning products. Growing up in Ethiopia, Bekele saw the stress and toll that the harshness of the sun was putting on people’s skin as they went about their daily lives, having to spend hours outside in the the direct rays of the the sun. This first-hand experience lead the young man to embark upon his scientific journey.
“I saw so many people that were working really long hours under the hot sun,” he said. “What keeps me pushing forward is thinking back to the impact that I will be able to have on those groups of people when I one day release that bar of soap.”
Bekele is one step closer to making his dream of getting his Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS) in the hands of those that need it. The sophomore at W.T. Woodson High School in Virginia has been working on testing his soap at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, collaborating with the Rebecca Lab to evaluate its effectiveness on mice.
Congratulations, Heman! We have no doubt that we will see this dream of yours come to fruition and help those in need.
Photo: PR Newswire; Dina Litovsky (@dina_litovsky) for TIME/TIME Magazine Instagram
