A Tokoroa teenager has been included on Time’s first-ever “Girls of the Year” list, five years after she began self-publishing her own book series.
Rutendo Shadaya, 17, was the only New Zealander among 10 girls named by the magazine as being “part of a generation that’s reshaping what leadership looks like today”.
Rutendo told Herald NOW’s Ryan Bridge it’s been “really amazing to see this progress” since her first novel, Rachel and the Enchanted Forest, was published in 2020.
“I’ve faced ageism in my journey and I feel like seeing this starting from a small girl from a small town and going into ... hitting international stages is such an amazing achievement.
“I feel like it inspires many young people to go into writing or achieve their dreams because they see someone doing this.
“They see 10 young girls representing them all over the world, and I feel like this is a good change ... because it encourages me and it empowers me to keep doing it.”
Rutendo began her literary career at 9 by creating a book for her best friend Sophie’s birthday, although she admitted she first “hated writing because any subject I wasn’t good at I instantly just didn’t like”.
“At the same time, my friend’s birthday was coming up and I knew she loved writing. She had a book club with her friends and they would read stories and stuff,” Rutendo said.
“I didn’t know what to write, but I wrote based on what I watched on TV, the books I read ... through that, it took me two months to write this first draft and I completed it two days after my [10th] birthday.”
Having been so young, Rutendo faced barriers to realising her book in its final published form and had to convince her parents just how serious she was.
“But after getting them on board, this journey took two years and I managed to give my friend her birthday present two years late in November.
“Since then, I decided writing isn’t that bad after all. And then I self-published two books later on.”
Rutendo’s fantasy series follows the magical protagonist Rachel as she navigates her newfound powers and learns how to use them in the enchanted city for good.
The Waikato teen draws inspiration for the series from her friendships, her Zimbabwe-New Zealand heritage, and things that pique her interest in her daily life.
“Sometimes I’ll be watching something or reading something, like maybe an article, [and] I’ll make it based on a fantasy type of idea,” she said.
“Sometimes I base it on interactions and I’m like, ‘Oh, I could add ... that characteristic into one of my book characters’.”
Despite having three titles already under her belt, Rutendo plans to treat writing as a side hustle after finishing school.
“I’m planning to do something in sciences ... I don’t want to make writing my full-time because ... I want to have it as a passion still.”
Other people who secured a spot on Time’s list include 16-year-old pilot Defne Özcan, who is the youngest Turkish person ever to fly solo, and 15-year-old Japanese Olympic gold medallist Coco Yoshizawa.
Time senior editor Dayana Sarkisova said she sought to find 10 girls from around the world “who challenged stereotypes, tackled problems head-on, and sought to build solutions from the ground up”.
“Women now make up over half of all students enrolled in tertiary education worldwide, and these young women are pursuing careers in engineering, technology, and innovation at record rates,” Sarkisova wrote.
“Their generation understands that change doesn’t require waiting for adulthood – it starts with seeing problems and refusing to accept them as permanent.”
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.