Age: 15
Age at T1D diagnosis: 12

For Elliot, a cure would mean extra culinary—and cultural—benefits. “A cure for type 1 diabetes for an Asian-American like me would mean that we can delight in all of our cultural practices. A lot of the food on Korean holidays, like rice cakes, noodles, and rice patties, I do not eat because they have too many carbohydrates.” Most of all, though, Elliot is hopeful for others who also live with T1D. “A cure for a disease that affects millions across the world will be revolutionary.”

The sky’s the limit for this budding scientist. With his Team America Rocketry Challenge team, Elliot won top honors for launching and landing a rocket. He is interested in technology, human anatomy, and psychology, and hopes to become a physician—perhaps even a pediatric endocrinologist—in the future.