Education: "I am Malala"

     Education is supposed to be for everyone, regardless of race, sexual orientation, nationality, skin color or sex. Unfortunately, in some parts of the world this does not happen; going to school is a continuous battle, and the life of who wants to learn is put at risk. This was the case of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl fighting against the Taliban for the right of female education in her country. In Pakistan, some Islamic extremist groups do not allow girls to educate because women, according to their beliefs, were born to serve their husband, take care of the house and the children; and not to educate themselves. Malala began writing a blog for the international broadcast BBC, where she wrote about her experience has a schoolgirl in Pakistan, she was just 13 at the time. This was a really dangerous mission for her because if the Taliban knew about it, they could kill her and her family. In her blog, she relates how these extremists bombed schools, threatened parents and girl students, and killed those who opposed them.

      With the support of her parents, Malala continued with her battle, and it became very public. The Taliban did not like this, so decided to take action on the matter. Malala gained international recognition when an individual of the extremist group shot her in the head when she was taking the bus back home. It is said that the armed man came in and asked: "Which one of you is Malala? Speak up, otherwise I will shoot you all", after identifying her, the man shot her in the head. Fortunately, Malala survived. The news went all around the world, and a hospital in London offered to cover all the expenses. After a year in recovery, Malala decided to use her new found fame to call for worldwide access to education, and wrote a book known as I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. Her work was recognized in 2014, when at the age of 17, Malala received the Nobel Peace Prize, and became the youngest Nobel Prize winner.