Heman Bekele, the 15-year-old student who invented a soap to treat cancer, was named 2024 Kid of the Year by Time magazine.
He said he was “thrilled” to receive the recognition and thanked the publication for featuring his work in a social media post.
In 2023, the teenager gained national attention after his groundbreaking soap won the prestigious Young Scientist Challenge, earning him a $25,000 prize and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.” Bekele was able to pursue lab research and meet professionals in the field, including molecular biologist Vito Rebecca, who serves as an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Rebecca also sponsored his project.
“I remember reading somewhere something about this young kid who had an idea for a skin-cancer soap,” Rebecca told Time. “It immediately piqued my interest, because I thought, how cool, him wanting to make it accessible to the whole world. And then, by complete serendipity at this Melanoma Research Alliance meeting, the CEO of the alliance introduced me to Heman. From the first conversation, his passion was evident. When I found out he lived very nearby in Virginia, I told him if he ever wanted to stop by the lab he’d be more than welcome.”
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Bekele credits his family for supporting his endeavors. His mother, Muluemebet, works as a teacher, while his father, Wondwossen, is employed as a human resources specialist for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Despite being so accomplished at such a young age, Bekele is incredibly humble: “Anybody could do what I did,” he said. “I just came up with an idea. I worked towards that idea, and I was able to bring it to life.”
Bekele realized as a child the extent of the sun’s potential negative effects on one’s health. One of his earliest memories is laborers working in the sun without protection in his birth country of Ethiopia.
“When I was younger, I didn’t think much of it, but when I came to America, I realized what a big problem the sun and ultraviolet radiation is when you’re exposed to it for a long time,” he said.
Born in Ethiopia, Bekele moved to the U.S. when he was just 4 years old. Taking an interest in medicine early on, he learned that imiquimod, an ingredient used to get rid of tumors, could be formulated as soap. However, the treatment typically costs a whopping $40,000.
“What is one thing that is an internationally impactful idea, something that everyone can use, [regardless of] socioeconomic class?” he said about the inspiration behind the cancer-treating soap. “Almost everyone uses soap and water for cleaning. So soap would probably be the best option.”
Formulating the soap was a long, tedious process that Bekele is still developing.
“It was so difficult to get a bar of soap that didn’t just melt immediately,” Bekele told Fairfax County Public Schools in Oct. 2023. “Persistence is a very important part of the scientific process.”
Both he and Rebecca have been testing their research on mice for the past year.
“There’s still a long way to go,” Bekele noted, adding that his goal is to get his formula certified by the FDA, which could take years.
Outside of scientific research, the 15-year-old is part of the Woodson High School marching band, where he plays both the flute and trombone. Bekele also plays basketball, chess and likes to read classic novels like The Great Gatsby.
