The 17-year-old scientist was honoured on Wednesday in the first-ever “Girls Leading Change” celebration at the White House, marking the International Day of the Girl.
WFY BUREAU:- Gitanjali Rao, a teenage Indian-American inventor, was awarded by US First Lady Jill Biden along with 14 other young women leaders for instigating change and paving the way for a better future in their communities across the nation.
The International Day of the Girl was observed on Wednesday, and the White House hosted the first-ever “Girls Leading Change” gala honouring the 17-year-old scientist.
First Lady Jill celebrated the 15 young women leaders who had been chosen by the White House Gender Policy Council to honour their contributions to their communities.
She was cited as saying in a White House press release, “It is my honour to commemorate this extraordinary group of “Girls Leading Change” at the White House.
“These young women are saving the world, changing minds via their writing and sharing, and utilising their suffering for good. Together, they represent the potential of young people across the country, and it is my hope that others can learn from the power of their innovation, strength, and hope,” she said.
Rao, a scientist from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was named America’s Top Young Scientist by Discovery Education/3M and received an EPA Presidential Award for her ground-breaking lead contamination detection technology.
According to the press release, her book “Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM,” which gives a prescribed five-step invention process, is used as a STEM curriculum in several schools throughout the world.
Named the Time Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year in 2020, Rao “is committed to not only continuing her career as a scientist and inventor but expanding her STEM education. 80,000 elementary, middle, and high school students have already benefited from the effort, according to the press statement.
She is a first-year student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was included in Forbes’ list of 30 under 30 achievers.
The Biden-Harris administration affirms its dedication to creating an unlimited future that is worthy of all girls’ abilities and aspirations on International Day of the Girl. to how far their dreams and talents can carry them,” the White House posted on social media platform X.