William Shakespeare once said, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” This quote perfectly describes Hemen Bekele, a 14-year-old who has been named Time Magazine’s 2024 Kid of the Year for creating a soap that could one day help prevent skin cancer.

Born in Ethiopia, Hemen moved to the USA with his parents when he was four years old. Even as a young child, he was fascinated by chemistry, often mixing detergents and soaps in his room and storing his experiments under his bed to monitor their progress. On his 7th birthday, he received a chemistry set as a Christmas gift and almost started a fire while experimenting.

In 2023, Hemen won $25,000 in the Young Scientist Challenge, a competition sponsored by Discovery Education and 3M. Unlike many 15-year-olds who spend their holidays playing video games, Hemen spends his time in a laboratory at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, passionately working on his invention and conducting skin research.

Hemen was inspired by the laborers he saw working in the sun in Addis Ababa, digging trenches without any sun protection. His parents had taught him about the importance of sunscreen and the dangers of sun exposure. After learning about the high costs of skin cancer treatment, Hemen began developing a cost-effective way to prevent the disease. He chose soap as his medium, reasoning that everyone uses it.

Hemen’s journey took a significant leap forward when he met molecular biologist Vito Rebecca at a networking event hosted by the Melanoma Research Alliance in Washington, DC. Vito granted Hemen access to a lab at a prestigious hospital, where they began researching and testing different formulations on animals.

Hemen credits his parents for intentionally moving to the USA to provide better opportunities for their children. His groundbreaking invention highlights the importance of encouraging more children to pursue STEM subjects in school, as it opens up possibilities for solving real-world challenges.