Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzay became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history, sharing the award with Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi. Despite her social activity, she still remains a little girl with her own dreams; Malala is shy and respectful of her parents, who support her goal to find herself in big politics.
“Getting an award for me is not just [about] making my profile or feeling proud that I have got a lot of awards,” she told Radio VR in an interview back in February of this year. “It shows that people are supporting me in my course of education. And each prize means a lot to me, because it gives me courage and it strengthens my ambition to work for education and to work for the rights of girls.”
Malala added that as a teenager and a schoolgirl, she is inspired by the examples of many people, including high-profile politicians; her favorite is Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan.
“First, when I was young I thought that I should become a doctor,” she said. “As usual in a backward society I thought that a girl can only be a doctor or a teacher. I didn't know that girls can also be journalists, businesswomen, and politicians. [When I saw] the world outside of Swat, I was looking at another world…I saw women that were doing things like politics, and the best example has been Benazir Bhutto, who was an example for all of us.”
“She showed that a woman can be the Prime Minster and she has equal rights,” Malala added.
However, her family and her loved ones continue to mean a lot to her.
Her mother is the one who encourages her, as well as her father, she added. Even though her mother is not educated, she is learning and she loves education.
“If she wouldn't have encouraged us to speak for our rights in Swat and to speak [during] that difficult situation, I think we wouldn't have been able to [say] anything for our rights,” she said. “It was she who encouraged us that it is important and what you are saying is the truth, you are not lying. And she said that the God is with you, Allah is with you and you should continue your struggle.”
