Congratulations to 15-year-old Heman Bekele, a talented young scientist who has been nominated. TIME Magazine’s Child of the Year 2024.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s surreal,” Bekele told the outlet of his honor. “To be honest, I can’t even accept it yet.”
Bekele first made headlines at the age of 14 when he won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and was named the nation’s top young scientist. Bekele made history with his groundbreaking invention, Skin Cancer Treatment Soap (SCTS), which could one day bring relief to those suffering from basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer. In addition to setting himself apart from his competitors with this win, Bekele also received a $25,000 cash prize to continue his research.
Regarding his invention, Bekele spoke modestly: times Jeffrey Kluger said, “Anyone can do what I did. I just had an idea. I worked towards it and I was able to make it happen.”
Bekele’s interest in science began when he began experimenting with household cleaning products at the age of five. Growing up in Ethiopia, Bekele saw the stress and damage that the harshness of the sun had on people’s skin as they went about their daily lives. They had to spend hours outside in direct sunlight. This firsthand experience set the young man on a scientific journey.
“I’ve seen so many people working really long hours in the hot sun,” he said. “What keeps me going is thinking about the impact that one day I can have on those people when I put that soap out.”
Bekele is one step closer to his dream of putting Skin Cancer Treatment Soap (SCTS) into the hands of people who need it. The sophomore at W.T. Woodson High School in Virginia tested the soap at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, working with Rebecca Rapp to evaluate its effectiveness on mice.
Congratulations, Heman! We have no doubt that your dreams will come true and you will be able to help those in need.
Photo: PR Newswire; Dina Litovsky (@dina_litovsky) TIME/TIME Magazine Instagram
