Graduation degree in hand, Malala says 'Netflix, reading and sleep' for now

The Pakistani activist who, as a teenager, spoke out publicly against the Taliban's prohibition on the education of girls and has also survived an assassination attempt at the age of 15. Did you know that Malala is named after Afghan folk hero Malalai of Maiwand who rallied Pashtun fighters against British troops at the Battle of Maiwand and become a legend?

(Image: Instagram/@malala)

A Nobel laureate at the age of 17, Yousafzai received the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School’s 2018 Gleitsman Award. This award is bestowed to an individual or team whose leadership in social action has improved the quality of life. A fighter and advocate of girls' education from a young age, she has been working hard to promote education for girls across the world. She is the second Pakistani to receive a Nobel Prize, following the 1979 physics laureate Abdus Salam. The award is named for Alan L. Gleitsman, a former entrepreneur, philanthropist, and major donor to the Center for Public Leadership. (Image: news.harvard.edu)

Malala was born in Mingora, Pakistan on July 12, 1997. She had her own struggles growing up as a girl child in conservative Pakistan. However, her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, was determined to give her all the opportunities that a boy would have. He let her fly and never tried to clip her wings, right from day one.

(Image: Instagram/@malalafund)

When Malala was 11, her father took her to a local press club in Peshawar to protest the shutting down of the schools and that is when she gave her first speech -"How Dare the Taliban Take Away My Basic Right to Education?". In 2008, The Taliban commence a campaign to blow up all government institutions. They focus their wrath on girls' schools which they say go against Islamic teachings. However, Malala's school, operated by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, remained open, but was under constant threat.

(Image: Instagram/@malala)

Malala had learned English by the time she was 11, and had already become a strong advocate of education for all. She began writing a blog even before she turned 12, under a pseudonym, Gul Makai. When the Taliban, an extremist and militant Islamic group, came to power in Swat, she focused her blog more on the changes in her life, including the Taliban's ban on education for girls, which included the closing of, and often physical destruction or burning of, over 100 schools for girls.

(Image: www.malala.org)

Amidst all the causes that Malala is associated with, she still hasn't lost the innocence and playfulness of the 22-year-old that she is. She continues to do things she enjoys the most and lives the life of a young, college graduate. She is currently pursuing Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford.

(Image: Instagram/@malala)

Nearly six years after a brutal attack that left her on the verge of death, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai returned to Pakistan in March 2018. Yousafzai gave an emotional, heartfelt speech on her return to her home country, where she is still under threat of violence. In a speech in which she often had to pause for tears, the activist hailed the fact "more than 6 million dollars" has been invested on education in Pakistan in recent years, adding she hoped "we all join hands for the betterment of Pakistan for our future, to empower our women so they can earn and stand on their own two feet."

(Image: Instagram/@malalafund)