The Kids Hall of Fame Inductees
17-Year-Old Extraordinary Achievers
ACTIVIST: CHILD RIGHTS
Payal Jangid worked successfully to end child marriage in her home village.
(Hinsla, India: 2019)
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
ACTIVIST: COMMUNITY
Steven Ferreiro, who, at age 16, founded the non-profit Helping Others And Giving Hope, established two partnerships that created the Farm Share Food Distribution Event. It assisted the communities most needy during the covid-19 pandemic. The partners were City of Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes and Farm Share Food Distribution, a non-profit organization. Collaboratively they provide approximately 500 families with about 25 pounds each of non-perishable food.
Learn more…
(Miami, Florida: 2020)
Illustrated by Michael White
Learn about Steven as:
– a founder: age 16
ACTIVIST: EDUCATION
Malala Yousafzai (you-sahf-ZIGH) became the youngest recipient ever of the Nobel Peace Prize. She was awarded the honor for her work in drawing global attention toward threats to girls’ education in Pakistan, her home country. Malala shared the honor with Kailash Satyarthi, a children’s rights activist of India. Eight of the many major points of Malala’s acceptance speech include…
Learn more…
(Mingora, Swat, Pakistan: 2014)
Illustrated by Ray Russotto
Visit Malala’s website.
Learn about Malala as:
– an activist: age 11, age 16, age 19
– an author: age 16
– a founder: age 16
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Warwick Davis played the title role in the film Willow Ufgood. George Lucas wrote the film for Warwick after meeting him on the set of Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Over 200 little people were hired for the Willow film.
(Epsom, Surrey, England: 1988)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
Visit Warwick’s website.
Learn about Warwick as:
– an actor: age11, age 12, age 13
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Hilary Duff played the starring role in the movie A Cinderella Story.
(Houston, Texas: 2004)
Illustrated by Daniel Pacificador
Learn about Hilary as:
– an actress: age 14
ACTOR / ACTRESS
River Phoenix played young Indiana Jones in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
(Los Angeles, California: 1989)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
Visit River’s website.
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Emma Watson played the role of Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which was released in 2007.
(Oxfordshire, England: 2007)
Illustrated by Callie Clinch
Learn about Emma as:
– an actress: age 9
ADVOCATE: UNICEF
YOUTH ADVOCATES FOR UNICEF
Makhtoum Abdalla (Sudan, Africa: 2020)
Monzir Mohammed Awad (Sudan, Africa: 2020)
Abigail Chamungwana (Tanzania, Africa: 2020)
Kouassi Kouadio Evrard (Côte d’Ivoire, Africa: 2021)
Ishan Goyal (United States: 2021)
Abram Ilcisin (Canada: 2020)
Emmanuel Cosmas Msoka (Tanzania, Africa: 2020)
Nkosilathi (Nkosi) Nyathi (Zimbabwe, Africa: 2020)
Ketsia Passou (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa: 2021)
Ayaan Siddiqui (United States: 2021)
Esha Singhai (United States: 2021)
Seri Rabet Uriel (Côte d’Ivoire, Africa: 2021)
AMBASSADOR: GOODWILL
Muzoon Almellehan was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. This was the first time a person with official refugee status took the post.
(Syria: 2017)
AMBASSADOR: HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
YOUTH AMBASSADORS FOR
THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
Nhandi Craig (Los Angeles, California: 2020)
Ve’ondre Mitchell (Seattle, Washington: 2022)
Learn about Ve’ondre as:
– an ambassador: age 16
Adrain Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio: 2022)
AMBASSADOR: UNICEF
YOUTH AMBASSADOR FOR UNICEF
Selma De Montgomery (Denmark: 2022)
APP DESIGNER / CREATOR
Nick D’Aloisio, who taught himself to code at age 12, created the Summly app. It automatically summarizes news articles and other information into mini articles that consumers can read quickly on their smartphones. Nick sold Summly to Yahoo, Inc. for $30 million, making him a multi-millionaire.
(United Kingdom: 2013)
Learn about Nick as:
– an app designer/creator: age 15
– a millionaire: age 17 (see below)
Aadit Palicha built GoPool, a student carpool app in Dubai.
(Dubai, India: 2019)
Learn about Aadit as:
– a founder: age 19
ARTIST: COMIC BOOKS
Stan Lee, born Stanley Martin Lieber, began his career as a comic book author and artist. He worked for Timely Comics which later became Marvel Comics. Stan went on to create 60 superheroes and 300 characters overall, prior to his death at age 95.
(Manhattan, New York: 1939)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
ARTIST
Akiane Kramarik
Visit Akiane’s website.
Michael White became the youngest pastel portrait artist to ever be hired to draw at Carowinds Amusement Park on the South Carolina / North Carolina border. That same year he went on to win a scholarship from the Rock Hill Artists Guild making it possible for him to attend the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota Florida.
(York, South Carolina: 1981)
Learn about Michael as:
– an artist: age 10, age 11, age 14
ATHLETE: ARCHER: OLYMPIAN
Baptiste Addis won a silver medal in the recurve archery event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
(France: 2024)
ATHLETE: BASEBALL PITCHER
Jackie (Virne Beatrice) Mitchell, a left-handed, female pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts, a minor league team, struck out legendary New York Yankees Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig at an exhibition game in 1931.
Learn more…
(Chattanooga, Tennessee: 1931)
Illustrated by Rob Maystead
ATHLETE: BASKETBALL PLAYER
PARALYMPIAN
Dylan Martin Alcott became the youngest member of the Rollers (the Australia men’s national wheelchair basketball team) to win a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. He was also the youngest to compete in the wheelchair basketball competition. Dylan, who played his first game of wheelchair basketball at age 14, explains, “To be seventeen and win gold…well, it just doesn’t get any better than that.”
Later in years, Dylan’s message to people with a disability was, “The biggest thing is that for every one thing you can’t do, there are 10,000 others you can. For every one idiot to give you a hard time, there are 10,000 others worth your time.”
(Melbourne, Australia: 2008)
Illustrated by Ray Russotto
Visit Dylan’s website.
ATHLETE: GOLFER
Ginger Howard became the youngest African American female golfer to turn professional. She began playing golf when she was 6 years old.
(Florida: 2013)
Illustrated by Alexander Holliday
ATHLETE: GOLFER
Tiger Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship for the third time. Tiger went on to become one of the most accomplished athletes of all time.
(Cypress, California: 1993)
Visit Tiger’s website.
Learn about Tiger as:
– an athlete: age 2, age 3, age 6, age 8, age 9, age 12, age 13, age 14, age 15, age 16, age 18, age 19
– a visionary: age 9
ATHLETE: GYMNAST
Denisa Golgota, an artistic gymnast from Romania, competed in the balance beam event during the European artistic gymnastics championships in Szczecin, Poland.
(Alimpesti, Romania: 2019)
ATHLETE: GYMNAST
Annabelle Kovacs, a rhythmic gymnast, performed with a hoop during the 32nd Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships. The event was held in the Palace of Sport, Kiev, Ukraine.
(Canada: 2013)
ATHLETE: GYMNAST
Alina Maksymenko, a rhythmic gymnast, performed at the Deriugina Cup (Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup) in Kyiv, Ukraine.
(Kyiv/Kiev, Ukraine: 2009)
ATHLETE: GYMNAST
Viktoria Mazur, a rhythmic gymnast, performed at the Deriugina Cup (Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup) in Kyiv, Ukraine.
(Kyiv/Kiev, Ukraine: 2012)
ATHLETE: GYMNAST
Kenzo Shirai won the floor event at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Antwerp Belgium. He also was the first person to perform a quadruple twist in a major final.
(Japan: 2013)
Illustrated by Ivy Guo
ATHLETE: ICE HOCKEY PLAYER
Wayne Gretzky signed with his first professional team, the Indianapolis Racers, in 1978. It was part of the World Hockey Association (WHA).
Learn more…
(Indianapolis, Indiana: 1978)
Illustrated by Ray Russotto
Visit Wayne’s website.
Learn about Wayne as:
– an athlete: age 10
ATHLETE: MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
Johnny Collinson became the youngest person to climb the highest peaks of all seven continents.
(Utah: 2010)
Kristen Kelliher became the youngest female to climb the lower 48 US state highpoints.
(Norwich, Vermont: 2011)
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
Visit Kristen’s website.
Learn about Kristen as:
– an athlete: age 18
ATHLETE: MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
Lucy Westlake, with her father, Rodney Westlake, climbed to the top of Denali, in Talkeetna, which is Alaska’s and North America’s highest mountain (20,320 ft / 6,194 m). It was previously named Mt. McKinely but in 2015, its original name, Denali, in the indigenous Athabascan language, was officially restored.
This expedition qualifies Lucy as the youngest female to climb all 50 US state highpoints. In addition, she and Rodney became the youngest father-daughter team to climb all 50 US state highpoints, a goal they set 10 years previously.
Learn more…
(Naperville, Illinois: 2021)
Illustrated by Kathan Dorriety
Learn about Lucy as:
– an athlete: age 7, age 8, age 12, age 13, age 15, age 18
ATHLETE: SOCCER PLAYER
Mia Hamm entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). By the time she graduated, she had helped the Tarheels win four National Collegiate Athletic Association championships.
(North Carolina: 1989)
Illustrated by Sofia Gomez
Visit Mia’s website.
Learn about Mia as:
– an athlete: age 15, age 19
ATHLETE: SOCCER PLAYER
ATHLETE: SWIMMER
OLYMPIAN
Alex Shackell competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
(Carmel, Indiana: 2024)
ATHLETE: SWIMMER
PARALYMPIAN
Sevilay Ozturk won the bronze medal in the women’s 50-meter backstroke, and became the first medalist for Turkey in Paralympic swimming. Born without arms, Sevilay began swimming at age 6. She explains, “After I started swimming and then joined the Olympics, I became more self-confident. As I became more confident, I got used to the outer world, and others got used to me.”
(Tokyo, Japan: 2021)
Learn about Sevilay as:
– an athlete: age 13
ATHLETE: TENNIS PLAYER
Serena Williams won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.
(Palm Beach Gardens, Florida: 1999)
Illustrated by Daniel Pacificador
Visit Serena’s website.
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Moziah Bridges had his book published.
(Tennessee: 2019)
Visit Moziah’s website.
Learn about Moziah as:
– an entrepreneur: age 11
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Edwin Ellis had his 42-page book, Jirou’s Journey to Friendship, published by Young Authors Publishing. Through his book, Edwin helps readers become more self-confident.
(Atlanta, Georgia: 2019)
Aarna Galhotra had his pictorial, poetry, coffee table book, Vibes of My Soul, published by The Poetry Society of India. The book is comprised of 44 poems accompanied with theme matching photographs.
(Panchkula, Haryana, India: 2020)
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Sidney Keys III had Books N Bros: 44 Inspiring Books for Black Boys published. In addition to the 44 empowering book reviews, it includes introductory information about Sidney’s journey to becoming a literary activist and entrepreneur.
(St. Louis, Missouri: 2023)
Visit Sidney’s Books N Bros website.
Learn about Sidney as:
– an activist: age 10
– an author: age 15
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Hart Main, along with his father, Craig Main, co-authored and published One Candle, One Meal.
Hart explained, “One of my favorite lessons I enjoy sharing with other kids is to not limit yourself or think you’re too young to make a difference.”
(New Philadelphia, Ohio: 2015)
Learn about Hart as:
– an entrepreneur: age 13
BRIDGE PLAYER: LIFE MASTER
Connie McGinley became the youngest female to earn the title of Life Master, by the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) which is North America’s largest organization dedicated to the card game.
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1973)
COLLEGE GRADUATE WITH PH.D.
Balamurali Ambati earned his Ph.D.
(Buffalo, New York: 1995)
Visit Balamurali’s website.
Learn about Balamurali as:
– a college graduate: age 13
COLLEGE GRADUATE WITH PH.D.
Ruth Lawrence earned her Ph.D., the youngest Ph.D. in mathematics from Oxford University.
(Brighton, England: 1989)
Learn about Ruth as:
– a college graduate: age 13
COLLEGE GRADUATE WITH PH.D.
DESIGNER
Robert G. Heft designed America’s official 50-star flag. He did so as a response to a class assignment as a Lancaster High School student. He earned a B- on his project but that was changed two years later when his design was accepted as America’s official flag.
(Lancaster, Ohio: 1958)
Illustrated by Ray Russotto
Learn more…
DONOR: STEM CELLS
Victoria Rathmill donated her stem cells after learning she was a match for a patient, an anonymous stranger with blood cancer. Victoria’s donation made her the youngest stem cell donor ever. Stem cells are produced by bone marrow that can turn into three main types of blood cells: red – that carry oxygen throughout the body, white – that help fight infection, and platelets – that help stop bleeding.
She had learned about the process at age 16, from guest speakers at her school, and then was inspired to donate when she learned that a family friend was diagnosed with leukemia. Victoria signed up to donate at Anthony Nolan bone marrow register, which matches potential donors to blood cancer patients in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. It is one of just two registers worldwide that accept donors under age 18. The other is in Canada. Victoria explained, “It’s just like giving blood. I would do it again because it’s not that difficult. It’s just a couple of days out of your life to save somebody else’s.”
Note: As of 2013, there were approximately 1,800 people in the UK and 37,000 worldwide, each year, waiting for a bone-marrow / stem cell transplant, and it’s usually their last chance of survival.
(Cheshire, England: 2013)
ENTREPRENEUR / FOUNDER
Shirah Benarde and her 21-year-old brother, Michael Benarde, co-founders of NightCap, launched their official e-commerce site. NightCap is a flexible drink cover designed to help prevent people from spiking someone’s drink. The cover can be easily stored in a fashionable Scrunchie worn in a person’s hair or as a bracelet. Within two years, the co-founders sold more than 600,000 units in over 40 different countries.
(West Palm Beach, Florida: 2019)
Photo: Courtesy of NightCap
Visit Shirah’s website.
Learn about Shirah as:
– an inventor: age 16
– a speaker: age 18
FOUNDER
Riley Eckert, from age 4, showed a passion to paint. Her grandmother, Margaret R. Gotthold, who Riley called her “strongest cheerleader,” continually inspired and encouraged Riley to pursue her art.
In early 2019, when Margaret passed away, Riley was devastated. To honor her grandmother, Riley created Art Four The Heart, a non-profit within which she creates and sells custom, hand-painted drawings on clothing, mainly jackets, hats, and sneakers.
Learn more…
(Marlton, New Jersey: 2019 – 2020)
Photo: Courtesy of The Eckert Family
FOUNDER
Alexandra Holliday explained, “I was at my dad’s house one day and I began thinking about how much we change throughout life and how many of us shy away from the changes or obstacles because of our fear of what’s on the other side. Since I’ve always had a passion for fashion and people, there was no better way to introduce this merge than starting a clothing brand. On March 17th, I officially launched Le Papillon to spread awareness for self love and appreciation, becoming, and community.”
(2020)
Story: Courtesy of Alexandra Holliday
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
Learn about Alexandra as:
– a founder: age 19
FOUNDER
Matt Wegrynz began buying and selling domain names. He founded Bodis.com to create a simpler way to monetize (earn money) on his own domain portfolio and to help other people to monetize theirs. Due to Matt’s work with creating a domain parking platform for undeveloped or unused domain names, he has been referred to as a domainer and domain master.
(Tampa, Florida: 2007)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
Visit Matt’s Website.
GOOD SAMARITAN
Adrian Rodriques found a purse in a grocery store parking lot, located the owner’s address, and returned it. Although the woman wasn’t at home when Adrian arrived, he gave it to her roommates, then left, not expecting a reward. Adrian thought, “If someone found my stuff, I’d want them to bring it back to me.” When interviewed by NBC News, Adrian explained, “My mom always told me, since I was little, to always do the right thing when nobody’s around.”
The owner of the purse, organized a GoFundMe campaign for people to reward Adrian for his honesty. Seven hundred and sixty-four donors sent money totaling over $17,000.
(San Diego, California: 2022)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
INTERN
Alex Harris and Brett Harris, twins, became the youngest interns on record at the Alabama Supreme Court. They served under the State Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker.
(Alabama: 2007)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
Visit Alex’s and Brett’s website.
Learn about Alex and Brett as:
– authors: age 18
– founders: age 16
INVENTOR
Angelina Arora invented a new type of biodegradable plastic made from prawn (shrimp) shells.
(Adelaide, Australia: 2020)
Illustrated by Sofia Gomez
Learn about Angelina as:
– a visionary: age 15
INVENTOR
Adam F. Cohen invented the Electrochemical Paintbrush, while a student at Hunter College High School.
(New York City, New York: 1997)
Elena Glassman invented Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) for the muscularly disabled.
(Pipersville, Pennsylvania: 2004)
INVENTOR
Ian S. Hagemann invented the Portable Vision Field Analyzer (PVFA) as a science project while a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The PVFA, quickly and accurately, analyzes the human eye to detect glaucoma, strokes, tumors of the brain, and other neurological disorders. Other machines that do the same job, typically are the size of a refrigerator and cost almost $20,000.
(Great Falls, Virginia: 1995)
INVENTOR
Anthony Halmon invented the thermofier, a thermometer and pacifier combined in one device which makes it easy to measure a child’s temperature. It provides parents with constant monitoring of their child’s temperature, which is especially important when the child is ill. The idea came to Anthony when his young daughter wasn’t feeling well.
(Chicago, Illinois: 2013)
INVENTOR
Raina Jain invented the HiveGuard, a beehive entranceway designed to kill Varroa mites.
(Connecticut: 2021)
Illustrated by Sofia Gomez
INVENTOR
Riya Karumanchi designed the smartCANE, with sensing technology to help the blind better navigate. This white and red cane is embedded with sensors, a GPS, vibration, and audio feedback. It uses built-in cameras to detect objects in real-time while the user navigates the area.
(Oakville, Ontario, Canada: 2020)
Illustrated by Leila Kazemzadeh
INVENTOR
Jeremy J. Kiser invented The Guardian Angel, a 2-part safety system that works at train intersections, to help prevent train collisions with cars and buses. An inexpensive radio transmitter is installed in trains, and a receiver is installed in cars and buses. As a vehicle approaches a train track, the transmitter signals the bus or car if a moving train is within a distance of one-fourth mile.
(Akron, Ohio: 1997)
INVENTOR
Gabe Klapman and Peter Alexander Lee invented The Big Array System. It uses a series of small microphones that can be worn on clothing, or carried in a briefcase, to amplify sounds only from the direction the user is facing. The system was much less expensive than hearings aids being sold at the time.
(Santa Cruz and Carmel, California: 2002)
INVENTOR
Rachel Li invented the process of using a gelation and pluronic F127 hybrid hydrogel as a barrier membrane to guide bone regeneration after periodontitis. Periodontitis is a severe gum infection that can result in tooth loss and other serious health problems.
(Poughkeepsie, New York: 2018)
INVENTOR
Elina Onitskansky invented the Micro-Electrochemical Sensor and Plating System, which effectively removes cadmium, copper, iron, lead, nickel, and zinc from polluted water.
(Lyndhurst, Ohio: 2001)
INVENTOR
Brian Schreyer invented the E.T.S. (Emergency Traffic Signal).
(Norwood, New Jersey: 1998)
INVENTOR
Scott Andrew Soifer invented the Vehicular Heatstroke Prevention System (Second-Generation Prototype). It can detect a child in a car (by recognizing an increase in carbon dioxide levels), monitor the car’s interior temperature, and turn on the engine and air conditioning. It can also alert emergency personnel.
(Lawrence, New York: 2017)
Visit Scott’s website.
INVENTOR
Dorothy Weiss invented the Safe Stepper, a shoe insole that sets off an alarm if more than a prescribed amount of weight is placed on it.
(Albany, New York: 1996)
LEADER
Joan of Arc served as a military leader. Joan explained, “I am not afraid…I was born to do this.”
(France: 1426)
Illustrated by Elgin Bolling
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Allison Carmean: On February 23, 2000, a series of brush fires blazed through Lehigh Acres, Florida destroying several homes and scorching hundreds of acres in a heavily populated area of the community. Knowing that her sister’s best friend lived in the area of the flames, Allison rushed to their home. She found a neighbor and her spouse trying desperately to prevent the flames from engulfing their home. Allison grabbed a hose and started watering down the house.
Learn more…
(Lehigh Acres, Florida: 2000)
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Ryan Oldham
(Beaverton, Colorado: 2019)
Chadwich Randle, a Life Scout, saved two children from drowning in a river.
(Houston, Texas)
Karanbeer Singh was on his way home in a school bus when the rickety bridge it was crossing collapsed, sending the bus into the river below. Karanbeer, the oldest student on board, broke the emergency window and assisted 15 kids to safety, even though he had been hurt.
(Amritsar, India: 2016)
Laxmi Yadav
(Chhattisgarh, India: 2017)
MILLIONAIRE: NON-INHERITED
Caroline Bercaw and her 18-year-old sister, Isabel Bercaw, grew their DaBombFizzers into a multi-million dollar business.
(Minneapolis, Minnesota: 2019)
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
Visit Caroline’s and Isabel’s website.
Learn about Caroline as:
– an entrepreneur: age 11, age 12
– a philanthropist: age 18
– a visionary: age 10
MILLIONAIRE: NON-INHERITED
Nick D’Aloisio became a millionaire after selling Summly (the app he created) to Yahoo, Inc. for $30 million. Summly utilized an algorithm to quickly summarize news articles and other information, so it could be quickly and easily read by consumers on their smartphones.
(United Kingdom: 2013)
Illustrated by Emilia Guerrero Hayllar
Learn about Nick as:
– an app designer/creator: age 15, age 17 (see above)
MUSICIAN: SINGER / SONGWRITER
Shawn Mendes
(Ontario, Canada: 2015)
Visit Shawn’s website.
Learn about Shawn as:
– a musician: age 19
MUSICIAN: SINGER / SONGWRITER
Alyssa Raghu sang America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” on the west lawn of the U. S. Capitol for the 30th National Memorial Day Concert. (2019)
Alyssa also recorded “Best Part” and “New and Improved”.
(Orlando, Florida: 2019 & 2020)
Illustrated by Lisa Subryan
Visit Alyssa’s website.
Learn about Alyssa as:
– a musician: age 16, age 18
MUSICIAN: VIOLINIST
Adrian Anantawan was one of seven, of the 80 violinists applicants worldwide, accepted into the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He explained, “It’s important to me that people think of me as a wonderful musician and not a wonderful musician for not having a right hand. I want people to judge me by what they hear, not what they see.”
(Toronto, Canada: 2000)
Illustrated by Rob Maystead
Learn more…
Visit Adrian’s website.
NEWSCASTER
Oprah Winfrey became a part-time newscaster on WVOL, a local radio station serving the African American community in Nashville.
(Nashville, Tennessee: 1971)
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
Visit Oprah’s website.
Learn about Oprah as:
– a newscaster: age 19
POLITICIAN: CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR
Ethan Randleas, a high school senior and a Republican, ran for governor of Kansas. Ethan wanted to defend liberty and citizens’ natural rights from an intrusive federal and state government.
Kansas and Vermont are the only states in the US that lack an age requirement for state governor.
(Wichita, Kansas: 2018)
POLITICIAN: CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR
Tyler Ruzich, a high school junior and a Republican, ran for governor of Kansas. In Kansas, a person needs to be 18 years old to vote, but there is no minimum age for gubernatorial candidates. Tyler said that his youth could be beneficial, especially when articulating the concerns of young voters. Tyler explained, “If our politicians aren’t willing to stand up and fight to address the concerns and issues of millennials and Generation Z then we ought to take the initiative and fight for those issues ourselves.”
(Prairie Village, Kansas: 2018)
POLITICIAN: CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR
Dominic Scavuzzo, a high school senior and a Republican, ran for governor of Kansas. Dominic explained that running for governor is a good opportunity to gain experience. Regarding other teens from Kansas who enter the gubernatorial race, Dominic explained, “I think it just shows that the youth of Kansas actually cares and they’re willing to take a stand.”
(Leawood, Kansas: 2018)
REPORTER:
"TIME FOR KIDS" MAGAZINE
Ian McKenna
(Austin, Texas: 2021 – 2022)
SOCIAL MEDIA STAR / INTERNET CELEBRITY
Hali’a Beamer achieved a following of over 7 million on TikTok, 893 thousand on Instagram, and 416 thousand on YouTube. Her TikTok videos feature her lip-syncing popular songs.
(Oahu, Hawaii: 2022)
Caleb Coffee achieved a following of over 10 million on TikTok and 1.1 million on Instagram. Caleb’s a comic. His TikTok video, 6 Months Difference, had over 35 million views. Caleb’s father, Jason, and Caleb’s siblings, Peyton and Isaac, are also social media stars.
(Hawaii: 2022)
Arianna Hailey achieved a following of over 13 million on TikTok, 315 thousand on Instagram, and 451 thousand on YouTube. Her TikTok videos feature lip-sync, dance, and comedy.
(Plano, Texas: 2022)
SOCIAL MEDIA STAR / INTERNET CELEBRITY
Mads Lewis achieved a following of 5.5 million on TikTok.
(Phoenix, Arizona: 2020)
Learn about Mads as:
– a social media star / internet celebrity: age 19
Issey Moloney achieved a following of 5.7 million on TikTok, 200 thousand on Instagram, and 253 thousand on YouTube.
She is in the top ten of the United Kingdom most successful content creators. Issey has partnered with Amazon Prime, Netflix, YouTube, Jack Wills, Rimmel, Look Fantastic and several others.
Issey explains, “My parents are divorced. After a house move and a new school, I didn’t feel like I fitted in anywhere, and I found it difficult to make new friends. When lockdown started, I struggled with my mental health; I was open about this on TikTok and posted quite personal videos of myself crying, just to let people know it really is OK to express your emotions.”
(London, England: 2022)
SOCIAL MEDIA STAR / INTERNET CELEBRITY
Desiree Montoya achieved a following of 3 million on TikTok (with 313.8 million Likes), 1.4 million on Instagram, 278 thousand on YouTube, and 11.1 thousand on Twitter.
She posts videos, tutorials, and pictures related to beauty, fitness, and daily life of friends, family, or herself. Desiree is a member of The Bay House Florida, an influential social media group that create collaboratively.
(Texas: 2022)
SOCIAL MEDIA STAR / INTERNET CELEBRITY
Kendalle Sands achieved a following of 1.2 million on Instagram and 405 thousand on YouTube. She posts videos dealing with choreography, gymnastics, hair styling, duets and dancing.
(Miami, Florida: 2022)
Mathew Valenzuela achieved a following of 1 million on TikTok (with 64 million Likes), 471 thousand on Instagram, and 46 thousand on YouTube. His postings are mainly selfies and of himself modeling. He is known for his curly red hair.
(San Antonio, Texas: 2022)
SOCIAL MEDIA STAR / INTERNET CELEBRITY
Solai Wicker achieved a following of 193 thousand on TikTok, 1.7 million on Instagram, and .7 million on YouTube. Her post are mainly of dancing and of humorous content. Her twin sister, Yoni Wicker, is also a social media star.
(Atlanta, Georgia: 2022)
Yoni Wicker achieved a following of 1.9 million on Instagram and .7 million on YouTube. She posts comedic and dancing videos as well as tips on hair care. Her twin sister, Solai Wicker, is also a social media star.
(Atlanta, Georgia: 2022)
SPEAKER
Sparsh Shah continued giving motivational speeches, often entitled I’mpossible.
(Iselin, New Jersey: 2020)
Illustrated by Michael White
Visit Sparsh’s website.
Learn about Sparsh as:
– a musician: age 13
SPEAKER
Nick Vujicic, born without limbs, gave his first speech in front of six students. This occurred three months after being convinced that he had an important message to share and the ability to share it, as explained and arranged by his school janitor. Nick went on to become a world-renowned speaker, New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur, husband, and father of four children.
(Australia: 1999)
Illustrated by Jiani Ma
Visit Nick’s website.
Learn about Nick as:
– a speaker: age 19
SPEAKER
VOLUNTEER
Brittany Paige Byer donated a great deal of her time to community service projects and to her church. She served on the March of Dimes Executive Board, through its National Youth on Board Program. Her interest in their work with reducing the infant mortality rate, stemmed from her little sister, Carlie, who was born premature and lived only 18 days.
Learn more…
(Estero, Florida: 2000)
WEBSITE DESIGNER / CREAT0R
Avi Schiffmann created one of the world’s largest coronavirus-tracker websites. Organized by country and state, it provides the latest worldwide statistics on the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, critical cases, deaths, and recoveries. It is updated every minute and includes additional helpful information such as a Survival Rate Calculator. By late April 2020, over 600 million viewers visited the site. Avi was offered $8 million to place ads on his site, but he turned it down.
Avi explains, “I hope more young people get inspired to do something to help the world…You really can learn anything online, from web development to basket weaving…You absolutely can change the world without leaving your bedroom – all because of the web.”
(Mercer Island, Washington: 2020)
Illustrated by Danielle Alexander
Visit Avi’s Website.
Learn about Avi as:
– a website designer/creator: age 7
ZOOLOGIST
Robert Irwin, a zoologist and wildlife conservationist, has many roles at the Australia Zoo, which was opened by his grandparents and then, years later, operated by his parents.
(Australia: 2020)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
Visit Robert’s website.