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Gitanjali Rao named in ‘Girls Leading Change’

In 2021, she received recognition as a Young Activists Summit Laureate from the United Nations in Geneva.

Gitanjali Rao / Image-X/@Certiport

Indian American teenager Gitanjali Rao was one among the fifteen young women leaders honoured by First Lady Jill Biden for leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities across the United States.

The White House Gender Policy Council has chosen the candidates for the “Girls Leading Change” celebration at the White House to recognize the profound impact young women are having on their communities and their efforts to strengthen our country for generations to come. 

First Lady Jill Biden expressed that it is an honour to celebrate this exceptional group and said, “These young women are protecting and preserving the earth, writing and sharing stories that change minds, and turning their pain into purpose."

17-year-old Rao is a fresher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A scientist and inventor, she was named America's Top Young Scientist by Discovery Education/3M and received the EPA Presidential Award for her innovative lead contamination detection tool. 

She worked on a project at the University of Colorado Denver's Department of Cell Biology to develop a colorimetry-based application and device for the treatment of prescription opioid addiction using cutting-edge techniques in genetic engineering. This initiative received world finalist recognition in a Technovation Girl Challenge and a Health Pillar award by the TCS Ignite Innovation challenge nationally. 

Rao also shared his invention on the Indian version of TED, TEDtalksNayibaat.  The TED speaker is also a board member of Children's Kindness Network, a non-profit that spreads an anti-bullying message and promotes the importance of kindness. Among her many notable achievements is the widespread adoption of her book Young Innovator's Guide to STEM as a STEM curriculum in schools all over the world. 

Time Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year, Rao is committed to not only continuing her career as a scientist and inventor, but also expanding her STEM education initiative, which has already touched more than 80,000 elementary, middle, and high school students. In 2021, she received recognition as a Young Activists Summit Laureate from the United Nations in Geneva.

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