Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg said Wednesday that she was “a bit surprised” to learn she had been recognized by Time magazine as its 2019 “Person of the Year.”

In an interview with The Associated Press, Thunberg said she “could never have imagined anything like that happening” but added that she was “very grateful” and “very honored” by the recognition from the magazine.

While announcing the move by the magazine to recognize Thunberg, a 16-year-old from Sweden whose activism to combat climate change helped spark youth-led climate demonstrations across the globe, Time Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal called the teen the “biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet.”

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“She also represents a broader generational shift in the culture that we’re seeing from the campuses of Hong Kong to the protests in Chile to Parkland, Fla., where the students marched against gun violence where young people are demanding change urgently,” he said.

Thunberg rose to prominence last year after she started leading strikes outside the Swedish parliament on Fridays to protest for more action to be taken to tackle climate change. Her activism helped spark the viral #FridaysForFuture campaign, which encourages students to participate in similar protests across the world.

While discussing the recent recognition from Time magazine, Thunberg said that “it should be everyone in the Fridays for Future movement because what we have done, we have done together.”

She also called for more media coverage of activists in indigenous communities, which she noted “are hit hardest by the climate and environmental crisis,” and to the science around global warming.

“That is what I am trying to do, to use my platform to do,” Thunberg, who is the youngest person to receive the recognition from Time, also said.

Thunberg, who captured widespread attention earlier this year after her impassioned speech at the U.N. Climate Action Summit pushing world leaders to do more to fight climate change, was also pressed during the interview about her thoughts on international leaders’ efforts on the issue so far.

“They say they listen and they say they understand, but it sure doesn’t seem like it,” she said, adding: “If they really would listen and understand then I think they need to prove that by translating that into action.”