Heman Bekele, the 15-year-old from Annandale who invented a bar of soap that fights cancer, added another award to his list of achievements. The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes named Beleke a winner, earning him an award of $10,000 to support his research.
The Barron Prize, established by author T.A. Barron, honors 25 impactful young leaders ages 8 to 18 per year. Bekele was one of 15 top winners this year.
Bekele developed a bar of soap that helps treat skin cancer, delivering a cancer-fighting drug to the skin to repair damaged cells. The soap costs less than $9 per bar, and it “uses lipid-based nanoparticles to keep the cancer-fighting solution on skin even after the soap is washed off,” according to a news release from the Barron Prize.
Bekele started the research process at age 11, inspired by the lack of affordable health care and high levels of sun exposure that happens to workers in Ethiopia, where he was born and raised.
“This experience has taught me that the possibilities for change are limitless,” Heman said in a news release. “I am just a 14-year-old boy, and yet I now know that my voice can be heard and that with hard work, passion, and perseverance, I can make a difference in the world.”
This isn’t the first time the teen earned national recognition for his invention. In 2023, he became America’s Top Young Scientist by 3M and Discovery Education — a distinction that came with a $25,000 research grant. He is also Time’s 2024 Kid of the Year.
Bekele is now pursuing Food and Drug Administration certification for his soap and conducting clinical trials on mice. He hopes to continue his research through college and start a nonprofit to distribute the soap around the world by 2028.
“Nothing is more inspiring than stories about heroic people who have truly made a difference to the world,” says T. A. Barron. “And we need our heroes today more than ever. Not celebrities, but heroes – people whose character can inspire us all. That is the purpose of the Barron Prize: to shine the spotlight on these amazing young people so that their stories will inspire others.”
Feature image of Heman Bekele courtesy Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
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