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Malala Yousafzai Gets Nobel Prize News During Chemistry Class, And Other Things That Remind Us She's a Teen
Let's be honest, here: Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Prize winner, may just be one of the most impressive people on the planet. While we were all busy dreamily picking sides in fake love triangles (Pacey or Dawson? Joey or Ross? Jess or Dean?), she was standing up for women's rights and demanding access to education. And now, she's achieved at age 17 what most people can't do in a lifetime — winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Let's not forget, though, that as stunningly accomplished as this young woman is, she's still just that — a young woman, who had to wait until her school day ended before she could make a statement to the press about winning the Nobel prize. If you need some reminders of just how young she is, though, here are a few:
She Blogged for the BBC When She Was a Kid
Seriously, this girl was doing more as a 12 year old than most do as adults. When she was 12, a BBC reporter got in touch with Yousafzai’s father, to ask if he knew of any bloggers who might be able to write about life under the Taliban — which, you know, was how Malala was living. When the blogger backed out, guess which 12-year-old was at the ready to risk her life and write an under a pseudonym? Malala, of course.
But She Was A Huge 'Twilight' Fan (The Books, Not The Movies, Of Course)
Hard to believe, maybe, but it’s true. In her book she writes that, when she was 10, “Moniba [her best friend] and I had been reading the Twilight books and longed to be vampires.” See, just like any normal kid!
She's Met With Some Extremely Senior Officials
She’s had meetings with the US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, U.N. President Ban Ki-Moon, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, and President and Michelle Obama — because, yes, all of those people wanted to hear what she had to say.
But She Loves Her Ice-Cream (Vanilla, If You're Wondering)
A New York Times reporter, Adam Ellick, remembers her once asking to go for some ice-cream after being at a high-level meeting. Ellick told CNN that “she said, ‘I want to get ice cream…I love vanilla ice cream.” Classic choice, Malala. Classic choice.
She Wrote a Stunning Autobiography
Her autobiography, titled ”I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban,” came out last year to wide acclaim. Although she was only 16 when it was published, she had a lot to say — after her efforts to bring girls’ access to education made her a Taliban target, she was shot at point-blank range but survived. And continued to do great work.
But She Loves "Trashy American Sitcoms"
In between fighting for the rights of women and writing her autobiography, though, she does apparently love a good sitcom. So, uh, that’s a relief?
No word on which are her sitcoms of choice, though.
Image: Prayitno/Flickr
She Gave a Speech to the United Nations
As part of her continuing campaign to bring free education for every child, across the world, Malala gave a speech last year at the UN headquarters in New York. She urged everyone to “wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism,” saying “let us pick up our books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution.”
But It Was On Her Sixteenth Birthday (They Called It "Malala Day")
Of course, on the day she did gave that speech, she was turning 16. Quite the party.
Image: ND Strupler/Flickr
She Started The Malala Fund
Last year, in spite of still recovering from her gunshot wounds, Malala officially launched her organization: the Malala Fund. Its aims aren’t modest, but they’re necessary — to raise awareness regarding the treatment of females in Pakistan, and to help give them access to education. It’s already been a huge success.
But She's Also Videochatted with Justin Bieber (And May Secretly Be a Belieber)
No, really, she FaceTimed Justin Bieber. Like, actually. Justin Bieber, the Canadian pop singer with more dumb scandals than hit records, and more teenage girl-fans than both combined, had a conversation over Facetime, with one of the world’s most awe-inspiring activists. Apparently, he was interested in partnering with her on The Malala Fund — but maybe she kinda enjoyed it, too? Just a little?
She's The Youngest Ever Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
On Friday, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for her “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education,” thus becoming the first person in the history of the prize to have won it while still a teenager. In fact, she brought the average age of winners down from 62 to 61 — that’s how much younger she is than all the other winners before her. And she really did deserve to win.
But She Found Out About it During Chem Class
Can you imagine concentrating after that? She was apparently learning about electrolysis in her chemistry class when her teacher told her that she’d won. But, star that she is, she went on with her school day and only gave the media her statement after she’d finished her classes.
