Time Magazine's Kid of the Year includes a 13-year-old honoree from San Jose

Time announced their 2024 Kid of the Year, and while that title goes to a teenager in Virginia, one honoree is a 13-year-old girl from San Jose.

Shanya Gill of Santa Clara County created a way to alert people of fires before one starts, the news magazine reported . She “couldn’t stop thinking about the restaurant behind her house” that burned down two years ago and “learned that unattended cooking is the leading factor in home fires.”

Her invention detects unattended heat sources and will alert users ”if it’s been two minutes and there’s no sign of humans,” Time reported.

Gill won a major science competition and has received help from the U.S. Fire Administration, Time reported. She was one of five honorees in addition to Time's 2024 Kid of the Year.

Who is Time’s 2024 Kid of the Year?

Heman Bekele, 15, was Time’s 2024 Kid of the Year. Bekele invented “a soap that could one day treat and even prevent multiple forms of skin cancer,” the news magazine reported .

How was Time’s 2024 Kid of the Year chosen?

The Time’s 2024 Kid of the Year list was a collaboration between Time and Time for Kids, according to the media brand . Editors and writers looked through submissions following a call out for the list in spring, as well as conducted their own research on kids in America ages 8-16. Time for Kids kid reporters also weighed in on the honorees, Time reported.

Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Time Magazine's Kid of the Year includes a 13-year-old honoree from San Jose