Sabrina Flynn, Grade 11
UWC Mostar
In 2012, I heard about this girl who had been shot in the head because she knew it was her right to go to school. Malala Yousafzai. I recently decided to read her story because I thought it would be interesting, and I believed I was old enough to really understand her message. It was eye-opening, motivating, inspiring, and engaging. She grew up in Pakistan and was very inspired by her father, who did his best to help his daughter. He knew that sadly, she would have disadvantages in life because she was a girl. She always stayed true to her beliefs and fought for what she thought was right. She was well aware of the dangers of standing up in her country, yet she never gave up. She was fighting for girls to have the right to go to school, and because of that, she got shot in the head. She was still a teenager, and she was only trying to help people. She had never used violence; she had only used words. This was very shocking to me.
I was well aware that the world we live in is far from perfect and filled with injustice. However, her story made me realize how many things I took for granted. I have never needed to fight to go to school. I have never been afraid of what could happen when I speak up. Malala made me realize that these rights I have, come with responsibility. I am in a position where my voice can be heard without danger. I have been to school and got the chance to understand how our world works. Like her, I wish to fight so that girls get the chance to have an education and a safer life. I do not think we always realize how important school is. Not having access to education also means we often can’t have access to a job. Since we are living in a world ruled by money, not having access to income is very miserable.
Without education, it is very difficult to communicate with others, which makes us more vulnerable. The fact that she went to school gave her the power to speak in front of people, to write, and to read to tell others what she was living. How are you supposed to ask for help if you can’t deliver your message?
Malala allowed the world to understand the sad reality faced by many girls. She also showed us how much impact words had. She is a representation of bravery. She is very strong and incredibly smart. So many girls could be like her if only they did not need to fear losing their life every time they attended class. She has a quote that says: “ I tell my story not because it is unique, but because it is the story of many girls”. She was lucky enough to have a father who was always telling her how worthy she was and always supporting her. If it wasn’t for him, she would probably never have had the opportunity to share her story to the world. Fortunately, Malala got to share her message and is still fighting for her cause. For everything she has done, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. It was very well deserved and allowed even more people to be inspired.
Her book motivated me to speak up for the people that can’t and will probably continue to motivate people for a long time. Now I hope that everyone who is lucky enough to have a voice will be brave enough to use it.
I was well aware that the world we live in is far from perfect and filled with injustice. However, her story made me realize how many things I took for granted. I have never needed to fight to go to school. I have never been afraid of what could happen when I speak up. Malala made me realize that these rights I have, come with responsibility. I am in a position where my voice can be heard without danger. I have been to school and got the chance to understand how our world works. Like her, I wish to fight so that girls get the chance to have an education and a safer life. I do not think we always realize how important school is. Not having access to education also means we often can’t have access to a job. Since we are living in a world ruled by money, not having access to income is very miserable.
Without education, it is very difficult to communicate with others, which makes us more vulnerable. The fact that she went to school gave her the power to speak in front of people, to write, and to read to tell others what she was living. How are you supposed to ask for help if you can’t deliver your message?
Malala allowed the world to understand the sad reality faced by many girls. She also showed us how much impact words had. She is a representation of bravery. She is very strong and incredibly smart. So many girls could be like her if only they did not need to fear losing their life every time they attended class. She has a quote that says: “ I tell my story not because it is unique, but because it is the story of many girls”. She was lucky enough to have a father who was always telling her how worthy she was and always supporting her. If it wasn’t for him, she would probably never have had the opportunity to share her story to the world. Fortunately, Malala got to share her message and is still fighting for her cause. For everything she has done, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. It was very well deserved and allowed even more people to be inspired.
Her book motivated me to speak up for the people that can’t and will probably continue to motivate people for a long time. Now I hope that everyone who is lucky enough to have a voice will be brave enough to use it.
Image Citation: https://malala.org/malalas-story?sc=header
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