Nupur Lanjekar
10th October 2020
Malala tweeted a photo of herself covered with confetti and food, supposedly an Oxford tradition, and posted another picture with her family and a graduation cake. She was extraordinarily joyful and struggled to express gratitude after completing her Philosophy, Economics, and Politics. She mentioned that she had no plans as of yet except for Netflix, reading, and sleeping. Various notable celebrities congratulated her.
At the age of 17, in 2014, Malala Yousafzai became the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Prize. Yousafzai is a young Pakistani activist who fights for women and girl education. On 9th October 2012, a Talibani group shot Yousafzai with two other girls in an attempt to assassinate those who did not believe in women’s rights or their Education. She has been a very prominent activist in female Education ever since. After facing fatal injuries, she and her family initially moved to Britain for her treatment but then took permanent residence.
Malala Yousafzai got accepted at the Lady Margaret Hall three years after her shooting incident. It is the same college where Pakistan’s 1st female Prime Minister graduated – Benazir Bhutto in the 1970s.
“At 11 years old, I woke up one morning and could not go to school because the Taliban had banned girls’ Education in Swat, the region of Pakistan where I was born. I am so pleased that I spoke out and for my years of campaigning that have followed. Now 21, I can study at a prestigious university—but I want to live in a world where every girl can weigh her future career options in the way I hope to when I graduate.” she told British Vogue in 2018. Yousafzai has been like any other student and lived like any other student. In an interview, she once said that sometimes she started with her assignments at 11.00 pm when they were due the next day.
“Education is Education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow. Education is neither Eastern or Western; it is human.” Says Malala Yousafzai in her book I am Malala: The girl who stood up for Education and got shot by Taliban. Yousafzai has proved to the whole world that nothing could stand in your way if you have the will to achieve it. Once a girl shot for Education went on to graduate from one of the most prestigious universities in the world. While she graduates, she inspires millions of girls worldwide to stand up for their rights and Education.
News Sources: BBC, She the People, Vogue.
Edited by: Sanskriti Airon