Her first day at Oxford is exactly five years after she narrowly escaped date after she was shot in the head by a Taliban militant while taking the school bus.
Malala Yousafzai survived being shot by the Taliban, won a Nobel Prize at only 16 years old, and bravely spoke out about life in Pakistan under the rule of the Taliban, inspiring millions all over the world.
Her inspirational message paired with a photo of three philosophy books on Monday posted as she went to her first lecture in Philosophy, Politics and Economics was met with an outpouring of online support, and rightly so. View image on Twitter
She writes, “5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls’ education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford.”
Her brother, Khushal Yousafzai, tweeted in reply: ‘Sorry for being a headache for the last 5years. So grateful you are still with us. Ik (I know) you miss me but i am coming to oxford in 2years.’ She did not reveal her grades but earlier this year she told a conference she had received an offer, which was conditional on achieving three As at A-level.
It was on her way to school in 2012 when Taliban militants boarded her bus and opened fire, also injuring two of her schoolmates. She had been writing an anonymous blog about life under Taliban rule and the shooting was an attempt to silence her. After recovering from her injuries in England, she was able to attend Edgbaston High School while her father worked at the Pakistani consulate.
In the years since, Yousafzai has used her visibility to help the cause of women and girls, including meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan to push for the release of the 200 young girls held by Boko Haram.
It was this past summer that Yousafzai announced she had been accepted at Oxford’s Lady Margaret Hall college to study philosophy, politics, and economics.
In 2014 Malala Yousafzai became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and her campaign for children’s rights to education across the world has seen her addressing the United Nations on the issue.
