WASHINGTON -- It's hard to believe that less than a year ago, Molly Katchpole was a part-time nanny.
Katchpole, the recent college graduate and District of Columbia resident credited with forcing Bank of America to back off from its planned $5 monthly debit-card fee, is now in the running to be on Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most-influential and important "leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes."
Here's what Time says about the 23-year-old consumer advocate:
Last fall when Bank of America levied 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. 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.
The magazine is asking for readers to vote "yes" for nominees who belong on the top 100 list and "no" for those who don't.
Unlike fellow nominee Jessica Simpson (7 yesses, 145 nos), Katchpole's doing well in the voting so far. As of just after 1 p.m. on Thursday, she's gotten 566 yes votes and just 73 nos.
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Others possible honorees for Time's list include George Clooney, Lady Gaga, José Andrés, Sandra Fluke, Tim Tebow, Queen Elizabeth II and Grover Norquist.
The 2012 "Time 100" list will be announced on April 17.