Girl Power

TIME and the LEGO Group joined up to celebrate the accomplishments of extraordinary girls who are making a big impact in their fields, from science and engineering to arts and athletics. Each barrier-breaking standout is paving the way for others to follow. Each sees the world in a unique way. “As a kid, I have another perspective,” Germany’s Clara Proksch says. Read about her and other amazing girls here.

Kornelia Wieczorek, 17

Innovator, Poland

When Kornelia Wieczorek was 14, she and a friend developed a fertilizer using bacteria. It was designed to promote seed growth without harming the soil. Kornelia hopes to do more research on the fertilizer when she begins college, next year.

Ivanna Richards, 17

Athlete, Mexico

Ivanna Richards was 4 when she first zipped along in a race car. She went with her dad, a competitive racer, during his training sessions. At 17, she’s a racer to watch. Ivanna is the first Mexican girl to be invited to drive in the F1 Academy. That’s a racing series that was launched in 2023.

Coco Yoshizawa, 15

Athlete, Japan

At the Summer Olympics in 2024, skateboarder Coco Yoshizawa, then 14, promised herself she’d have fun. “My priority was to enjoy it,” says Coco, now 15, through an interpreter. That kept her from feeling flustered when it came time to land her toughest trick. She won gold.

Clara Proksch, 12

Innovator, Germany

Clara Proksch collected samples from sandboxes in her city, Munich. She examined and cultured them in petri dishes. Some had high concentrations of bacteria and fungi. Now Clara is developing an app to rate the cleanliness of sandboxes. And she’s working on a sand-cleaning machine.

Zoé Clauzure, 15

Artist, France

At 10, Zoé Clauzure was a finalist on The Voice Kids in France. At 13, she became a Junior Eurovision champion. Zoé campaigns against bullying. She’s the youngest-ever ambassador for the Non-Violence Project. It’s a global group that promotes peace.

Naomi DeBerry, 12

Advocate, United States

Naomi DeBerry’s dad had a kidney transplant when she was 6. She wrote a book to help kids whose loved ones also had transplant surgery. Now Naomi shares her story as she advocates for organ donation. Her life goal? To become a transplant surgeon.

Valerie Chiu, 15

Innovator, China

Valerie Chiu formed Teen Animals da Scientists in 2022. Today, the group promotes science education. It organizes events and publishes a magazine. “I believe that actually, I have the power to make an impact in my community,” Valerie says.

Rutendo Shadaya, 17

Author, New Zealand

Rutendo Shadaya has self-published two fantasy novels. She hopes teens will see themselves in the characters and be inspired to face life’s challenges. Rutendo speaks at conferences. She encourages young people to write. “When I started writing,” she says, “I didn’t have many resources.”

Defne Özcan, 17

Adventurer, Turkey

Defne Özcan enrolled in flight school at age 15. A year later, she became the youngest Turkish person ever to fly a plane solo. As she did, she sang a song from her favorite Broadway musical to soothe her nerves: “Defying Gravity,” from Wicked, of course!

Rebecca Young, 12

Innovator, United Kingdom

Rebecca Young won a big engineering award for designing a solar-powered backpack with an electric blanket in it. A company made 30 of the blankets. They were distributed at a homeless shelter earlier this year. There are plans to make 120 more.