The summer leading up to my first year of college, my dad shared some words of wisdom with me: "I may not be able to give you everything, but I can help you get an education that will open doors for you and take you to places, and I can promise you that it is one of the few things in life that no one could ever take away from you."

My parents have emphasized the importance of education for all of my life. Though it took a lot of time and patience, they made sure that I understood its value. Motivation came in waves for me during high school, meaning I would have abrupt stints of pushing myself beyond my capacities before going back to doing the most minimal work that would still secure A's and B's. My parents have always done their best to support me through the bad and the good because they see so much potential in me waiting to be uncovered.

Not once in my life did I feel unworthy of an education because of my gender. I was raised to believe that I deserve the same opportunities boys receive, and I still live by that belief.

In her 2012 TED Talk, Shabana Basij-Rasikh acknowledges the impact a family makes when they provide encouragement to their daughters. Her family saw the power in education as well as women and therefore invigorated her to pursue an education. When she felt like giving up, her father restored her ambition. With only six percent of women continuing after high school, Basij-Rasikh appreciates the dedication of her family to put her through school.

However, not every girl around the world has similar circumstances as they are discouraged and prevented from living a life of full potential.

Approximately two-thirds of girls in Afghanistan are not enrolled in school. They are not given the resources that boys get. The Afghan government "provides fewer schools for girls than boys at both the primary and secondary levels." Additionally, the number of female teachers is less than 20 percent, which causes conflict among families that do not want a male figure to teach their daughters.

Advocating for girls' right to education, Shabana Basij-Rasikh founded School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA), a private all-girls boarding school. The institution aims "to provide Afghan girls a rigorous education that promotes critical thinking, a sense of purpose, and respect for self and others."

Peace activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Leymah Gbowee, tells a story of a young girl she welcomed to her home in 2004. The nine-year-old had endured sexual abuse for half a year. Her wish, as Gbowee remembers, was to be well but also to go to school.

Sexual exploitation remains a problem in different parts of Africa. Gbowee reveals, "Girls as young as 12 being prostituted for less than a dollar a night." Even when a young woman's dream of attending college was granted because her athletic skills qualified her for a full scholarship, she was coerced into having sex with the sports director daily during her time at the school as a way of paying him back for the program.

Leymah Gbowee is striving to help girls around the world to turn their dreams into reality. She explains, "Because all of these great innovators and inventors we've talked to and seen . . . are also sitting in tiny corners in different parts of the world, and all they're asking us to do is create that space to unlock their intelligence, unlock the passion, unlock all of the great things they hold within themselves." In doing so, she has started a foundation focusing on the education and development of women and girls in West Africa.

On International Day of the Girl, Michelle Obama announced the launch of Global Girls Alliance, a project by the Obama Foundation, as a way of assisting the 98 million girls deprived of education around the world. The organization plans to team up with other advocates to learn from each other and make better developments together. Furthermore, the former First Lady wants to see an increasing involvement from people as they become informed about the cause.

As the alliance's slogan states: "The future of our world is only as bright as our girls."