Age: 23
Occupation: Consumer-rights advocate
Last fall, when Bank of America announced plans to levy a $5 debit-card fee on its customers, Molly Katchpole, then just 22 years old, said enough was enough. Her Change.org petition against the fee got more than 300,000 signatures in a month, she cut up her B of A card on national television, and the U.S.'s largest major banks all backed down from their plans. She didn't stop there. Verizon also caved after her petition against its $2 online-payment fee gathered more than 130,000 signatures in 24 hours.