Jeremiah Thoronka

Jeremiah is the inaugural winner of the Chegg.org Global Student Prize. Born amid the fighting of the Sierra Leone civil war, Jeremiah grew up with his single mother in a slum camp for displaced people and had to burn charcoal and wood for lighting and heating. These hardships fueled his passion for renewable energy and climate change advocacy. At 17, he launched Optim Energy, which utilizes the power of kinetic energy – caused by moving objects – to create pollution-free electricity, transforming vibrations from vehicles and pedestrian footfall on roads into an electric current without burning anything or releasing emissions. With just two devices, it provided free electricity to 150 households comprising around 1,500 citizens, and 15 schools where more than 9,000 students attend.