Gitanjali Rao Honoured As First Ever ‘Kid Of The Year’ By TIME(Pic credit – TIME/ Twitter)
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Brooke Hampton once said “Speak to your children as if they are the wisest, kindest and most beautiful and magical humans on Earth, for what they believe is what they will become” and we couldn’t agree more with this quote. 15-year-old Indian-American Gitanjali Rao has been named the ‘Kid Of The Year’ by TIME Magazine and interviewed by Angelina Jolie.
This has happened for the first time in the history of India that someone of the same origin has won the title.
The brilliant Gitanjali Rao has done some ‘Astonishing work’ in the field of ‘Cyberbullying to solve contaminated water issues’. The 15-year-old has been interviewed by none other than Hollywood diva, Angelina Jolie and below is all you need to know.
Talking about the process with Jolie on a virtual talk, Rao said, “Observe, brainstorm, research, build and communicate.” This young mind was selected from over 5000 nominees as reported by PTI.
Time then said, “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 continued.
In her interview, Gitanjali Rao said, “If I can do it, anybody can do it.” The young scientist continued, “But then at the same time, we’re facing old problems that still exist. Like, we’re sitting here in the middle of a new global pandemic, and we’re also like still facing human-rights issues. 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.”
Rao continued, “I think more than anything right now, we just need to find that one thing we’re passionate about and solve it. Even if it’s something as small as, I want to find an easy way to pick up litter. Everything makes a difference. Don’t feel pressured to come up with something big.”
Kudos to this little mind for achieving such a huge feat at such a young age. More power to you, Gitanjali Rao!
