KDES student Keivonn Woodard honored in TIME Magazine

Keivonn Montreal Woodard, a student at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, was featured in the August 26 issue of TIME as one of six finalists for Kid of the Year 2024. This honor recognizes “extraordinary young leaders who are making admirable contributions in a range of fields – including social justice, science, education, entrepreneurship, and more.”

Woodard’s TIME profile, titled “Acting for Representation,” chronicles his experience in the role of Sam in the HBO television series The Last of Us. He was one of six Emmy nominees in the Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series category, and, at age 10, the youngest person ever nominated in this category. He is also the first Black Deaf actor in the history of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to be nominated for an Emmy. While he did not win, he has garnered two more roles. He is cast as the star of Anslem Richardson’s short film Fractal, and will appear in Stephen Ashley Blake’s debut feature, Steal Away.

KDES student Keivonn Woodard nominated for an Emmy

Keivonn Woodard: Film star, Emmy nominee, aspiring hockey player

Woodard says in the article, “Most people [in TV and film] are hearing, so you just see people talking,” he says. “But when I see Deaf people and they’re using sign language, I understand what they’re saying. Showing Deaf people playing Deaf characters is authentic and extremely important.”

This year’s Kid of the Year is Heman Bekele, a 15-year-old sophomore at W. T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia. Bekele invented a soap that could treat or prevent some forms of skin cancer. In addition to his studies, he works in a laboratory at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

According to TIME, “Kid of the Year is open to kids in the United States ages 8-16 as of September 1, 2024. Applications must be submitted by adults 18 and older; parents, educators, community members, and friends may apply on a child’s behalf…Editors at TIME and TIME for Kids will read submissions and search the country for children ages 8-16 whose outstanding deeds and contributions make them worthy of being considered for Kid of the Year. Kids will be evaluated on criteria including service to others, outstanding achievement, and success in entrepreneurship.”

Congratulations, Keivonn!