Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was honored by Harvard University with its Gleitsman Award on Thursday for her courageous leadership of a global movement to equip girls with 12 years of free, quality, and safe education.
Now 21, Malala has become a global symbol for girls;’ right to education since she survived a Taliban attack as a teenager in 2012. She opposed the Taliban’s ideology of denying women an education and wrote anonymous blogs for BBC when the militants let loose a campaign of terror and suppression in her hometown in Swat.
A Noble Prize laureate, she co-founded Malala Fund and speaks at events around the world
“Malala speaks powerfully to the strength and perseverance of women and girls who are oppressed,” said David Gergen, professor of public service at Harvard Kennedy School and director of the Center for Public Leadership, in a statement before Thursday’s ceremony in Cambridge.
“Her remarkable story has inspired girls—and boys as well—to follow in her footsteps and has activated a generation of practitioners and legislators who are fighting for equality in their own communities.” According to Harvard News, the award and $125,000 prize are given annually by the Center for Public Leadership to an individual or team whose leadership in social action has improved quality of life in the United States and around the world.
Malala is based lives in Britain and is currently studying at Oxford University, where she is pursuing a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics.
