WGNO

Metairie cover girl wears the crown as one of America’s top teenage scientists

METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) — Even when you’re home-schooled, you still have homework.

But it’s hardly work for Rachel Pizzolato. Rachel’s a cover girl.


Really, her picture is on the cover of magazines.

She’s an 18-year-old Louisiana high school senior with so many awards that have her name on them.

WGNO Good Morning New Orleans features reporter Bill Wood says she’s so smart when it comes to science, she’s been named one of America’s best in a talent contest of science-loving seniors to become the country’s top young scientist.

Bill Wood knows and says to Rachel Pizzolato, “All because you have two patents pending, including one that makes football helmets safer.”

Rachel Pizzolato says, “We all know that football is our country’s sport, but it’s also the most dangerous out there, my technology could potentially save lives…it’s basically like shock absorbers like the bumper in a car.”

She’s a national trampoline champ who’s got talent.

From her home in Metairie, she heads to Hollywood.

She’s modeling for photoshoots and auditioning for TV shows.

She’s also building an audience with close to two million on TikTok.

So much talent, so many plans.

Rachel plans to become an aeronautical engineer.

She says, “They build the aircrafts that go into space.”

Rachel has another patent-pending plan.

She came up with it in sixth grade.

Her notion is to put more windmills into motion, to get the world moving.

It sounds a little like her life already.