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It’s 2018, and Malala Yousafzai is someone we can count on in reshaping our world for the better. The teen made headlines in 2012 when she was shot by the Taliban in a murder attempt. Since her recovery, she’s become the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and is now an Oxford University student and children’s education activist. For the first time in six years, Malala returned to her hometown in Pakistan, and it was nothing short of an emotional homecoming.
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The New York Times reported that Malala met with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and gave a speech at the office. She stated, “I am just 20 years old, but I have seen a lot in life. I never wanted to leave my country.” Since her departure in 2012, she had been unable to return to Pakistan due to security concerns and the Taliban’s promise of a second attack. For the past several years, Malala has been living in England, where she received several recovery operations and now attends university.
While Malala’s trip home holds a lot of sentimental meaning, as she’ll be returning to her town of Swat Valley, she’ll also be making progress for the Malala Fund, an organization she founded in 2013. She’ll be inaugurating a girls’ school, a major feat as one of the reasons Malala was targeted by the Taliban was due to her outspoken efforts to provide females with equal education rights.
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Though Malala has been labeled as a hero and an inspiration in the West, Eastern counterparts haven’t always agreed. Some have accused her of promoting Western agenda while her memoir, I am Malala, was banned in Pakistan’s private schools upon its release, according to NPR.
Despite this, Pakistan’s prime minister welcomed her home with open arms while locals have praised her for making education for females an increasing reality. Malala reminds us that ambition isn’t limited to any age, and it’s never too early or too late to start implementing positive change.
