Black Boy Joy is in full effect--Time Magazine named 15-year-old scientist Herman Bekele their 2024 Kid Of The Year. 

During his interview with the outlet, he shared what his first set of “potions”, concocted at age 7, consisted of. 

“They were just dish soap, laundry detergent, and common household chemicals,” he shared. 

“I would hide them under my bed and see what would happen if I left them overnight. There was a lot of mixing together completely at random.”

Bekele has since advanced as a scientist, winning a Young Scientist Challenge and receiving a $25,000 cash prize. The invention he created was a soap that could treat and even prevent multiple forms of skin cancer.

“I’m really passionate about skin-cancer research,” he said. 

“Whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field. It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life. That’s the reason I started this all in the first place. 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,” the Addis Ababa native shared. 

The young prodigy isn’t all business – he still has a balance of fun in his life being a part of the Woodson High School marching band, playing the flute and trombone while also playing basketball, reading fantasy books, and playing chess. 

Congratulations Herman!