Heman Bekele, a teenager from Fairfax, was chosen as TIME Magazine's 2024 Kid of The Year for developing an affordable bar of soap that could make delivering medications for skin cancers, including melanoma, more accessible. Bekele, an aspiring scientist, won 3M's Young Scientist Challenge in 2023 and secured $25,000, along with the title of "America’s Top Young Scientist." With the help of Johns Hopkins professor Vito Rebecca, Bekele has been testing a soap on lab mice in an attempt to tackle skin cancer. Bekele's soap still has a long way to go before hitting the market. Testing, patenting, and getting FDA certification could take a decade or so. ...For more Virginia news and updates, follow us vadogwoodnews #virginianews #timemagazine #cancerfree #science #technology