Meet Heman Bekele, a 15-year-old from Fairfax County, Virginia, who has been named TIME’s Kid of the Year for 2024. This recognition comes as a result of his groundbreaking invention: a soap that could potentially treat and prevent multiple forms of skin cancer.
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Heman emigrated to the United States with his family at age 4. His childhood memories of laborers working under the harsh sun inspired him to find a way to protect people from skin damage. He learned about imiquimod, a drug that fights skin cancer, and envisioned it as a key ingredient in a soap that could be affordable and accessible worldwide. Heman is currently collaborating with Vito Rebecca, a molecular biologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to develop his skin-cancer-fighting soap.
Here are a few pictures of the boy, who has also won 3M Young Scientist Challenge:
