Gitanjali Rao, the 15-year-old Indian American TIME’s Kid of the Year

Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old scientist and inventor has been named as Time magazine’s first “kid of the year”. This Indian-American girl has been lauded for her work on using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying.

Ms Rao 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.

In an Instagram post, Time magazine said: “Introducing TIME’s first-ever Kid of the Year, Gitanjali Rao. Just 15 years old, Rao has been selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees. She spoke about her astonishing work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying, and about her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over.” “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,” Time said. Last year,  Greta Thunberg became the youngest ever person of the year when she was given the honour at age 16.

Rao is a believer in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and works with schools, girls in STEM organisations, museums all across the world, and bigger organisations like Shanghai International Youth Science and Technology group and the Royal Academy of Engineering in London to run innovation workshops.