Ibrahim H - Investigation 2C + Final Question

## **Malala Yousufzai**

Malala
Yousufzai hails from my country, Pakistan. She is an activist for female
education, and is also the youngest recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala was born in 1997 in Mingora,
a small village in Pakistan (*Malala’s Story*).
From a young age, Malala loved to learn and read (ibid.). In 2007, the Taliban
took control of the region where Malala lived, and they enforced restrictions
on female education (ibid.). Malala, a firm supporter of female education,
began blogging for the BBC, using the pen name Gul Makai, about living under
the Taliban's threats to deny her an education (“Malala Yousafzai”).  With a growing public platform, Malala continued
to speak about the rights of women in education, and this resulted in her being
awarded Pakistan's National Youth Peace Prize (ibid.).

Malala's activism led to her being
viewed as an enemy by the Taliban. The Taliban issued a death threat against
Malala, but even that did not deter her (“Malala Yousafzai”).
In a tragic incident in October 2012, the Taliban boarded her school bus and
shot Malala in the head and neck (“Profile: Malala Yousufzai”).
The shooting left Malala in a critical situation, but miraculously she survived;
she was transferred to England for further treatment (“Malala Yousufzai”).

In January 2013, Malala was
discharged from the hospital (*Malala’s Story*).
The shooting had resulted in the outpouring of massive support for Malala, and
by now almost the entire world knew her story. Determined to continue her
education, Malala began school as soon as March 2013 (*Malala’s Story*). She continued advocating for female education; on July
12th, 2013, she spoke at the United Nations, and the UN has since
then declared the 12th of July as ‘Malala Day’ (ibid.). Along with
her dad, Malala also set up the ‘Malala Fund’ which is dedicated to help young
girls pursue their right to education (ibid.). Due to her continued activism,
Malala was eventually award the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, making her the
youngest recipient of that award (“Profile: Malala Yousufzai”)

Currently Malala Yousufzai is
completing her undergraduate from Oxford University. She remains as a role model
for me, and countless others because she symbolises the fact that no matter how
young or old you are, or no matter what your circumstances, you can always make
a huge difference in this world. I look up to her, and in doing so remind
myself that if she can do it, anyone can!

### **Works Cited**

“Malala Yousafzai.” *Biography.Com*,
https://www.biography.com/people/malala-yousafzai-21362253. Accessed 3 Dec.

*Malala’s*
Story | Malala Fund*.*
https://www.malala.org/malalas-story. Accessed 3 Dec. 2017.

“Profile.”
*BBC News*, 17 Aug. 2017. *www.bbc.com*,
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-23241937.

## **Final Question: If you could interview anyone alive or dead as to how they achieved what they did or their life path, who would it be and why?**

I would love to be able to
interview my role model, Steve Jobs. I have always been fascinated by Jobs'
path to success, and I would love to know more about it. For instance, I am
interested to know what caused him to drop out of college because unlike other
college dropout entrepreneurs, Steve Jobs did not have a startup idea at the
time of him leaving college. Similarly, I would like to know what was the
'lightbulb moment' for Apple Inc. i.e. where did Steve Jobs get the inspiration
to come up with the idea of the computer company?

A crucial part of Jobs' road
to success was his unwillingness to give up. I am curious to know what went
through his mind when he was ousted from the very company that he had started.
I am sure that, that was one of the lowest points in his life, and it is
intriguing to know how he managed to pick himself up and go on to create two
very successful companies i.e. Pixar Animation Studios and NeXT Computer. For
sure, the answer to that question would provide me with inspiration to deal
with setbacks in my own life.

Steve Jobs was a visionary; he was
out to try and change the world. Unfortunately, nature had different plans for
him, and he passed away at the (young) age of 56. If I was able to interview
Steve Jobs, I would want to talk about his vision. I want to know what other
plans he had, or what other ingenious ideas he was working on, which he,
unfortunately, never got the chance to present to the world.