Dear Malala Yousafzai,
Ever since I saw your interview on "The Daily Show" I have been in awe of you. At eighteen years old you are a poised intelligent young woman. When I was eighteen the thought of speaking in front of a large group of people would be enough to make me start sweating profusely. Not only are you capable of speaking in such an eloquent manner at the young age of eighteen, but you also risked you life for what you believed in at the even younger age of sixteen.
For those of you reading this who do not know Malala Yousafzai's incredible story, a Taliban gunman shot her in the head when she was sixteen years old. She was shot because the Taliban had been depriving girls of education in Pakistan, and she refused to obey. A threat was placed on her because of her activism, but she didn’t believe that the Taliban would kill a child. But on October 12, 2012, a gunman boarded the bus she had been riding and asked for her.
Once her location was determined the gunman shot her in the head, leaving her in critical condition. She did not let this stop her. She stated, “I don't want to be remembered as the girl who was shot. I want to be remembered as the girl who stood up.” In 2014 she was nominated (her second nomination) for the Nobel Peace Prize, and won, making her the youngest recipient to receive this honor.
We are always taught to stand up for what we believe in, but this example takes the cake. Malala, I cannot even begin to relate to you. Your bravery inspires me beyond my ability to articulate it. Because of you, when I wake up and dread going to class I remind myself how important education is. In an interview you stated,
"In Pakistan, when we were stopped from going to school, for the first time I realized that education is very important and education is power for women. That’s why the terrorists are afraid of education. They do not want women to get an education because then women would become more powerful."
I think that everyone should look up to Malala. The issue of why we do not idolize people like Malala instead of actors or models was recently brought up on instagram. Omar Roque instagramed
I couldn’t agree more Roque. Malala you are the role model young people need. Young girls should be aspiring to be as strong and intelligent as you, instead of aspiring to be as pretty as a Kardashian.
You have already made more of a difference in your eighteen years than I will probably make in my entire lifetime. Malala I think you are an inspiration and I will continue to aspire to be more like you every day.
To learn more about Malala you can read her autobiography I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, and to learn more about her cause go to malala.org.
