Heman Bekele: 15-year old Ethiopian immigrant named TIME's Kid of the Year for scientific discovery

Heman Bekele from Annandale, Virginia, is a 15-year-old scientist "who could change how we treat skin cancer," stated Time in its announcement released Thursday.

"It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life," Bekele told Time. "That’s the reason I started this all in the first place.”

The teen was chosen after he created a soap that could be a "more accessible way to deliver medication to treat skin cancers, including melanoma," the magazine said in a news release.

“I was raised under the thought that I could always ask questions, be as curious as possible, learn as much as possible,” Bekele told US media. “And then all that learning and questioning pushed me to the field of science.”

Bekele, who immigrated from Ethiopia at age 4, said he was partly inspired by watching labourers in his native country toil under direct sunlight, with no protection from the sun’s UV rays.

After moving abroad, Bekele — who would entertain himself for hours as a child mixing together detergents and other under-the-sink chemicals — began wondering how he could help.

“What is one thing that is an internationally impactful idea, something that everyone can use, [regardless of] socioeconomic class?” Bekele asked himself, as he told Time. “Almost everyone uses soap and water for cleaning. So soap would probably be the best option.”

In 2023, 3M and Discovery Education named Bekele America’s Top Young Scientist when he was just 14 years old after he competed against nine other finalists, USA TODAY previously reported. Bekele also won a $25,000 (Ksh. 3.2 million) cash prize.

3M engineer Deboarh Isabelle, who was Heman’s mentor during the Young Scientist Challenge competition, said the TIME Kid of the Year honor was well deserved.

“Heman is an incredible charismatic, curious, intelligent, articulate young man,” Deboarh said. “But more than that, he’s compassionate and has a heart for people. He’s created an invention that has the potential to make the world better for so many people.”

There are still many stages to go before the soap is approved to be used as treatment, but when Bekele isn't in school at Woodson High School in Fairfax County, Va., he does research at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.