When Liberal Arts and Science Academy student Ian McKenna began gardening in the third grade, he couldn’t have realized it would one day land him in the pages of Time Magazine, but that’s exactly what happened. 

McKenna's story started with a simple garden plot, where he’d give the produce grown there to friends and neighbors. After a few years, McKenna asked his school to set up a garden space so that they could provide vegetables to the community. Other students began to participate, donating their time and money. 

Seven years later, the garden has grown in recognition and is now named Ian’s Giving Garden. The garden has expanded to five schools around Austin and is continuing to grow. Ian has provided over 20,000 pounds of vegetables to his community.  

Keeping up with his garden wasn’t always easy. When the pandemic came to Austin, McKenna did not slow down. He began posting online tutorials on how to grow vegetables at home as well as cooking classes to use the ingredients. He also has not stopped distributing his vegetables to members of his community.

In recognition of his efforts, McKenna was named one of the top-five finalists for Time Magazines’ Kid of the Year award.

The Kid Of The Year award is given to children who have made an outstanding positive impact on their community. The finalists are selected from a pool of over 5,000 nominees between 8 and 16 years old.

The Kid of The Year TV special will air at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 on Nickelodeon.

To view Time’s Kid Of The Year article where Ian is featured, you can visit Time.com.