The Art of Russell Pierce

At the ripe old age of 19, this young woman has accomplished quite a bit. Malala is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. Her courage in speaking out against the Taliban and specifically it’s treatment of women made her a target for assassination. On the afternoon of October 9th 2012, Yousafzai boarded her school bus in the northwest Pakistani district of Swat. A gunman asked for her by name, then pointed a pistol at her and fired three shots. One bullet hit the left side of Yousafzai’s forehead, traveled under her skin through the length of her face, and went into her shoulder. 

 

The assassination attempt sparked a national and international outpouring of support for Yousafzai. Deutsche Welle wrote in January 2013 that Yousafzai may have become “the most famous teenager in the world. United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown launched a UN petition in Yousafzai’s name, demanding that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015; it helped lead to the ratification of Pakistan’s first Right to Education Bill.

 

Among the other numerous awards and recognition, Malala was on TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential list three years in a row. I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next.