Meet Myra: The Sixth Grader Transforming Children’s Health Through Invention

When most sixth graders are balancing homework, hobbies and new interests, 11-year-old Myra Saxena is doing all of that — and transforming the future of children’s health. A competitive ballet dancer, a passionate young scientist and an award-winning inventor from Palo Alto, California, Myra is the creator of Healthy Littles powered by SmartGenes, an app-and-wearable system designed to help prevent Type 2 diabetes in children. Her invention blends biology, technology and empathy in ways that have already captured national attention, from the California Invention Convention to collaborations with Stanford Medicine and Johns Hopkins.

Myra’s journey began long before she ever heard the phrase “invention convention.” At six years old, she watched her grandfather battle Type 2 diabetes and saw firsthand the emotional toll it took on her family. That experience sparked a flood of questions: Why does this happen? How can I help? Those questions became the engine of an inventive mindset that continues to drive her today. “I wanted to make a difference for kids that have Type 2 diabetes,” she explained. “I never started Healthy Littles for a competition— it was because I wanted to make an impact.”

Healthy Littles began as a simple app with exercise videos and healthy-eating activities gamified for kids stuck at home during COVID. As Myra kept learning, researching and asking more questions, she added a macro-tracker to help young users monitor their nutrition, then a Genetic Risk Score calculator to help families understand inherited risk. Today, she is exploring microRNAs, immune signals and biomarkers that could help predict diabetes even earlier. Despite her young age, she has already worked with mentors at Johns Hopkins Pediatric Diabetes Center and Stanford Medicine to strengthen and deepen her research. “When you truly and deeply care about the problem, you won’t stop,” she said. “You keep inventing your whole life.”

Myra’s story is also one of resilience. She speaks openly about failure — not as something to fear, but as fuel. Whether debugging code “hundreds of times,” or facing setbacks in both dance and invention competitions, Myra embraces failure as her greatest teacher. “You never fail. You either win or you learn,” she said, quoting Maya Angelou. “Prototypes never work the first time… but that’s exactly where the magic begins.”

That mindset is exactly why Myra shines at the California Invention Convention, where she competed for the first time last year. Brenda Payne, director of the California Invention Convention, sees something extraordinary in her: “Myra is a rather remarkable 6th grader, who has a true passion for helping other young people who struggle with health challenges, primarily Type 2 diabetes.”

Myra believes programs like Invention Convention are essential because they help kids tap into their creativity, curiosity and compassion. “Kids have such an open mind,” she said. “It’s not about having the smartest idea — it’s about caring deeply about the problem.” She hopes more young people will discover the power of inventing, reminding them to “Start small. Stay curious,” and choose a problem that truly bothers them. “Your first attempt won’t be perfect, but that’s where the inventing journey begins.”

As for her own future? Myra dreams of becoming a geneticist, and she is already laying the groundwork through research and continued improvements to Healthy Littles. “I want to take it big,” she said.

With her courage, curiosity and commitment to improving children’s health, Myra Saxena is proving that you’re never too young to change the world. And in her words, that change begins with a question: Why not?

Read more stories here about student inventors participating in Invention Convention.