A teen who created a soap that could โtransform skin cancer treatmentโ was chosen as the 2024 Kid of the Year by Time magazine and Time for Kids.
Heman Bekele from Annandale, Virginia, is a 15-year-old scientist โwho could change how we treat skin cancer,โ stated Time in its announcement released Thursday.
โItโs absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody elseโs life,โ Bekele told Time. โThatโs the reason I started this all in the first place.โ
The teen was chosen after he created a soap that could be a โmore accessible way to deliver medication to treat skin cancers, including melanoma,โ the magazine said in a news release.
โI was raised under the thought that I could always ask questions, be as curious as possible, learn as much as possible,โ Bekele told US media. โAnd then all that learning and questioning pushed me to the field of science.โ
Bekele, who immigrated from Ethiopia at age 4, said he was partly inspired by watching labourers in his native country toil under direct sunlight, with no protection from the sunโs UV rays.
After moving abroad, Bekele โ who would entertain himself for hours as a child mixing together detergents and other under-the-sink chemicals โ began wondering how he could help.
โWhat is one thing that is an internationally impactful idea, something that everyone can use, [regardless of] socioeconomic class?โ Bekele asked himself, as he told Time. โAlmost everyone uses soap and water for cleaning. So soap would probably be the best option.โ
In 2023, 3M and Discovery Education named Bekele Americaโs Top Young Scientist when he was just 14 years old after he competed against nine other finalists, USA TODAY previously reported. Bekele also won a $25,000 (Ksh. 3.2 million) cash prize.
3M engineer Deboarh Isabelle, who was Hemanโs mentor during the Young Scientist Challenge competition, said the TIME Kid of the Year honor was well deserved.
โHeman is an incredible charismatic, curious, intelligent, articulate young man,โ Deboarh said. โBut more than that, heโs compassionate and has a heart for people. Heโs created an invention that has the potential to make the world better for so many people.โ
There are still many stages to go before the soap is approved to be used as treatment, but when Bekele isnโt in school at Woodson High School in Fairfax County, Va., he does research at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
Via โ Citizens digitalย
