A local teen was named to TIME Magazine's list of the most influential youngsters of the year, and she's in impressive company.
Gladiator Lacrosse CEO Rachel Zietz, a 16-year-old entrepreneur from Boca Raton, is among 30 teenagers around the world who've been recognized as one of TIME's Most Influential Teens of 2016.
Keeping Rachel company on the list are Sasha and Malia Obama, Olympic superstars like Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles, and even Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenage activist for female education.
To compile its annual list, the TIME staff says it considers accolades, global impact through social media, and ability to drive news. All of the honorees are more than celebrities; they're do-gooders who are using their level of influence to change the world.
Through Gladiator Lacrosse, Rachel sells ultra-durable lacrosse equipment at a competitive price. She launched the company as a middle schooler in 2013 and broke $1 million in revenue last year—something only 2 percent of women-owned businesses accomplish.
“I knew I always wanted to do this. I just didn’t realize I could do it this young,” Rachel told Boca Life when we profiled her last spring.
Here's what TIME had to say about Rachel:
Four years after founding her own high-end lacrosse equipment company, Gladiator Lacrosse, the Boca Raton, Fla.,-based entrepreneur says she’s on track to exceed $2 million in sales this year—and hit $10 million by 2017. (The gear is now available online, and will soon be sold in many Dick’s Sporting Goods stores.) But Zietz, who has appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank, isn’t slowing down. She’s now working with a team to develop a new piece of headgear for lacrosse players designed to prevent concussions, all while finishing high school. “There’s no such thing as balancing your time,” she says. “It’s really just prioritizing your time in an effective manner.” —Lisa Eadicicco
Other notable teens on the list included actors Chloe Grace Moretz and Jaden Smith, music artists Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, "MasterChef Junior" winner Logan Guleff, and James Charles, who recently made headlines for becoming CoverGirl's first CoverBoy.
Here's everyone who made the unranked list, from youngest to oldest:
Maddie Ziegler, 14
Skai Jackson, 14
Logan Guleff, 14
Gaten Matarazzo, 14
Sasha Obama, 15, and Malia Obama, 18
Rachel Zietz, 16
Laurie Hernandez, 16
Kiara Nirghin, 16
Chloe Kim, 16
Yara Shahidi, 16
James Charles, 17
Sumail Hassan, 17
Gavin Grimm, 17
Amandla Stenberg, 17
Ben Pasternak, 17
Zara Larsson, 18
Katie Ledecky, 18
Jaden Smith, 18
Yusra Mardini, 18
George Matus, 19
Shawn Mendes, 18
Luka Sabbat, 18
Maisie Williams, 19
Simone Biles, 19
Camila Cabello, 19
Chloe Grace Moretz, 19
Barbie Ferreira, 19
Malala Yousafzai, 19
Kylie Jenner, 19
To read about these talented teens, see the full article on TIME.com here.
A local teen was named to TIME Magazine's list of the most influential youngsters of the year, and she's in impressive company.