Growing up in Ethiopia, Heman Bekele noticed many people working under the hot sun. Now 14 and a high school freshman in Annandale, Virginia, Heman was inspired by those memories to invent Skin Cancer Treating Soap—a bar soap designed to treat melanoma—as part of a science competition.
Q: How does the soap work?
A: It’s [made with] with different cancer-fighting chemicals. It’s like an immunotherapeutic; it uses the resources inside of your body to fight against the skin cancer cells.
Q: What was your favorite part of this experience?
A: The day I presented my research to the judges—it all came down to that moment. It was stressful, but at the same time, so fun to finally be able to show the world what you’ve been working on for a year and a half.
Q: What’s next?
A: I hope to start a nonprofit organization where I can provide equitable skin cancer treatment to as many people as possible.
Q: What would you tell other teens who are just getting into science?
A: Don’t be afraid to go for it, as scary as it might sound. A couple of months ago, I was just a 14-year-old with a dream—and it came true.
(This interview was edited and condensed for length and clarity.)