Malala Yousafzai is a renowned Pakistani education activist, film and television producer, and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history, awarded at just 17 years old in 2014. Born into a Yusufzai Pashtun family in Swat, Pakistan, she was inspired by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, an education activist. Named after the Afghan folk heroine Malalai of Maiwand, Malala became a passionate advocate for girls’ education, especially during the Taliban’s oppressive regime in her homeland, which sought to ban girls from attending school.
Her activism gained international attention when, at the age of 11, Malala began writing a blog under the pseudonym Gul Makai for BBC Urdu, detailing life under Taliban control. Her story was further highlighted in a New York Times documentary in 2010. By 2011, she had received Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize and was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by Desmond Tutu, solidifying her status as a prominent voice for education rights.
On October 9, 2012, Malala survived a harrowing assassination attempt by a Taliban gunman, who targeted her due to her activism. The attack drew worldwide condemnation and sparked an international movement in support of her cause. After her recovery, she co-founded the Malala Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for girls’ education globally.
Malala has authored the bestseller *I Am Malala* and received numerous accolades, including the Sakharov Prize and honorary Canadian citizenship. Educated at Edgbaston High School and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, she graduated in 2020 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. In 2023, she became the youngest Honorary Fellow at Linacre College, Oxford, continuing her legacy of advocacy and education.