Tejasvi Manoj Age, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Tejasvi Manoj

• In 2014, Tejasvi Manoj began learning and practising Taekwondo.
  

  Tejasvi Manoj while practising Taekwondo in 2014

• She started working as a volunteer in various non-profit organisations when she was in sixth grade. According to her,

  I started volunteering in sixth grade. I think it’s really important; if you’re lucky yourself, you want to make sure other people feel loved and lucky too.”

• She regularly teaches maths and English online to Bhutanese refugees through ‘Vibha’, a nonprofit organisation that supports education and jobs in India.

  

  Tejasvi Manoj while raising funds for the education of underserved children through handmade crafts as a Vibha volunteer

• Tejasvi Manoj also works as a volunteer on the leadership board of the North Texas Food Bank Young Advocates Council.
  

  Tejasvi Manoj after collecting a donation to support the North Food Bank with her team to provide over 75,000 meals to the community

• She often contributes to the ‘TangoTab’ pack meals, which help the families who are struggling with food insecurity.

• Tejasvi Manoj is associated as an AI student ambassador with the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp.

• She plays the violin in her school orchestra.

• Tejasvi Manoj has a huge interest in learning computer science, focusing on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

• She is an Eagle Scout.

  

  Tejasvi Manoj while working on her Aviation badge in Scouting in 2023

• When she was in eighth grade, she started learning coding at the ‘Girls Who Code’ summer programs.

• After that, Tejasvi Manoj joined a cybersecurity learning program named Cyber-Patriot, organised by the Air Force and Space Force and got trained in Java, Python, and HTML.

• She has been involved in various STEM disciplines. According to her,
  

  I code mostly in Java and Python, and a bit of HTML. I really love the fact that you can solve problems with your computer, and I really like creating.”

• During his high school years, she started enjoying coding and decided to pursue a career in it. Once, during a media conversation, she shared her love for coding. She said,
  

  That’s when I realised how amazing coding can be and how much I enjoy it. Moreover, I understood the impact I can make by learning to code, and I instantly knew I wanted to pursue it in the future.”

• In February 2024, at 16, during her school days at Lebanon Trail High School in Frisco, Texas, one day, when she was returning home with her father from Scouting America camp, her father noticed that he had received five missed calls on his phone from his 85-year-old father.

• When he called him back, Tejasvi’s grandfather replied that he had received an urgent email from another relative, Tejasvi’s uncle, and he was asking for $2,000 to settle an unexpected loan.

• Tejasvi’s grandfather was ready to transfer money in an emergency, but Tejasvi’s father asked him to wait. Her grandmother also suggested calling Tejasvi’s uncle before transferring the money. They then called Tejasvi’s uncle to check if the request was genuine. Uncle replied,
  

  I never asked you for money. Please don’t send anything until I can look into what’s going on.”

• The incident left Tejasvi Manoj and her family in shock. After getting home, she went to her room and started researching the online scams. The data showed that such scams were very common.

• In an interview with a media house, her mother, Aishwarya, explained that Tejasvi was surprised to know that her grandparents had no awareness about online scams. Aishwarya said,
  

  It was like, Why did you not know? That’s when she went on with her research and found out that it was not an isolated case with her grandparents, but a much larger problem.”

• She then decided to create a website specifically designed for elderly people to help them detect online scams.

• Within a year, she launched ‘Shield Seniors,’ a website aimed at raising awareness about online scams targeting individuals over 60 years old.

  

  Tejasvi Manoj’s finalist presentation of Shield Seniors at the Texas High School Ideas Challenge, hosted by the McFerrin Centre for Entrepreneurship, Texas

• On this website, users are required to upload suspected emails and messages, which checks their authenticity.

• If the messages are fake, then the site gives links to report them to 14 private and government groups, including the FBI, the Better Business Bureau, the Social Security Administration, AARP, the SEC, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

• Initially, the site was available only in private preview as it needed more research and funds. During a media conversation, Tejasvi discussed that the website was designed for the online independence of the elderly. She said,

  Because our goal for Shield Seniors is to make sure older adults are independent and know what to look for. We want to make sure they’re able to navigate the online world confidently, with independence, and with dignity.”

• In 2024, a story about Tejasvi Manoj and her website, Shield Seniors, was published in the Dallas Observer, a digital and print publication.

• This story brought her to the attention of the people at the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
  

  Tejasvi Manoj after receiving a TIME’s Kid Of The Year certificate

• In many media interviews, she thanked her mentor and neighbour, Aarathi Rajamanickam, a software engineering manager in banking, for guiding her in the development of the website.

• In 2024, Tejasvi Manoj received an honourable mention in the Congressional App Challenge.

• She then began visiting local elderly house facilities to show her website and teach about cybercrime.

• Many senior citizens attended her seminars to learn practical ways to stay safe online. She once shared the experience of her first seminar in a media interview. She said,
  

  I remember going to my first seminar and I was super nervous, but there were so many interested people—taking notes on their notepads, which was really nice. At the end some of them came up to me with questions, and I was able to help them.”

  

  Tejasvi Manoj hosting a ‘Cybersecurity for Seniors’ seminar at an older adult community in 2025

• In September 2025, Tejasvi Manoj came into the limelight when she was honoured as TIME’s Kid of the Year by TIME magazine for her project and website Shield Seniors. She was featured on the cover of the magazine.
  

  Tejasvi Manoj on the cover of TIME magazine

• After that, she became the first person to be honoured as a TIME for Kids Service Star, a programme run by TIME’s sister publication to highlight young people who are making a positive impact on society.

• In 2025, Tejasvi Manoj was invited to the online speaking platform TEDx in Plano, Texas, where she talked about forming ‘digital bridges’ for all age groups.

  

  Tejasvi Manoj posing at TEDx