Time Magazine Names Gitanjoli Rao As First-Ever Kid of the Year

Time Magazine has named 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao as the first-ever Kid of the Year.

The Indian-American teenager from Colorado was chosen to collaborate with technology to fix problems ranging from polluted drinking water to drug abuse and cyberbullying, reports PTI.

She has been chosen from more than 5,000 candidates to be nominated as the first Kid of the Year by the publication, which has been announcing the Person of the Year for 92 years.

The recognition in the US in association with Nickelodeon, is a barometer for emerging leaders of America's youngest generation, the magazine said.

Actor and activist Angelina Jolie conducted a virtual interview of the teenager from her home in Colorado, US on behalf of Time magazine.

While speaking with Jolie, Rao said about her process: “Observe, brainstorm, research, build and communicate."

The aspiring scientist said that from a very young age, she began to think about using science and technology to bring about a social shift in global dynamics.

She said she was 10 when she told her parents she wish to learn carbon nanotube sensor technology at the Denver Water Quality Research Center.

Rao said there are a lot of issues that her generation has seen that have never been seen before.

She pointed out that while there are new issues in society, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, old problems such as human rights remain.

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.

When asked when she knew that science was her passion, Rao said she always wanted to put a smile on someone’s face.