Close your eyes and imagine a scientist standing in front of you. What do they look like? Is the scientist a man or a woman? Young or old?
For many people, the image of a scientist is often an older white man. But Gitanjali Rao challenges that stereotype. As a South Asian girl, she points out, “You don’t see a lot of women in STEM, let alone girls of color. That’s not right. Science is for everybody.”
That’s why, when I think of a girlhood heroine, Gitanjali Rao is one of the first people who comes to mind. She shows us that age and gender don’t matter when it comes to making a real difference in the world.
Gitanjali’s love for science began at just 4 years old, and by the time she was 10, she had already invented Tethys, a device designed to detect dangerous levels of lead in drinking water. Inspired by the Flint water crisis, where children were exposed to contaminated water, she wanted to create a solution. Her invention won her a $25,000 prize, but Gitanjali didn’t stop there. She went on to create more innovations, including an app called Kindly, which uses artificial intelligence to combat cyberbullying.
What I find most inspiring about Gitanjali is how she took her passion for science and used it to solve real-world problems. She proves that no matter how young you are, you can make a difference—and that science is for everyone. Gitanjali’s story encourages me, and other girls, to follow our passions and believe that anything is possible if we have the motivation to make it happen.
-Yuwen Z