Gitanjali Rao
For creating positive change as a teenager—and inspiring problem-solvers of all ages
“Don’t be afraid to fail,” says 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t be afraid to go out there and solve problems because there’s no one stopping you but yourself.”
Rao was just 11 when she came up with the idea for Tethys, a small, mobile device that uses carbon nanotube sensors to detect lead in water. She was inspired to take action in part by the public water management crisis in Flint, Michigan, USA, where residents, including thousands of children, were exposed to lead contaminants. Rao’s invention was selected as a finalist in the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, and she spent months working with a mentor from 3M to build and test prototypes. The device ultimately won the competition—and helped her develop her own iterative innovation process: observe, brainstorm, research, build, communicate. “Innovation doesn’t have a deadline,” she says. “So when I start going, I can keep going and there’s no one stopping me.”
How Gitanjali Rao Creates Positive Change as a Teenager
“Don’t be afraid to fail,” says 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t be afraid to go out there and solve problems because there’s no one stopping you but yourself.”
Rao is just getting started. Named Time magazine’s first Kid of the Year in 2020, she wants to inspire others to pursue innovative projects that will create a better world. She wrote A Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM and has given TED Talks on problem solving and the value of having mentors.
Last year she created and launched Kindly , a service that uses artificial intelligence to detect and prevent cyberbullying. The app doesn’t punish anyone—it alerts users that their language or content might intimidate or be hurtful to other people. Her latest project, a way to help detect parasitic contaminants in drinking water, is part of her long-term goal of preventing future pandemics and the spread of diseases.
Rao’s youth and gender mean her ideas haven’t always been taken seriously. But she’s not about to let that get in the way.
“I might not have a PhD. I might not have a degree, but I have that same drive within me that anyone else has to solve problems,” she says.