Do you ever feel like not going to school because you’d rather be at home doing something better than sitting in a classroom all day? Well most people don’t realize how lucky they are to be getting an education. In Swat Valley, Pakistan girls aren’t allowed to go to school. They stay home and help their mothers. The Taliban were threatening the lives of families that sent their daughters to school. It seemed like the Taliban had complete control over everyone, but not quite.

Malala Yousafzai, the daughter of a school owner was only 11 years old when she spoke up about how the right to education should not be taken away. The Taliban threatened her life but that didn’t stop her. She snuck into school every day with only a few other girls because to her education means everything. One day on the way home from school her bus was attacked by the Taliban. Two other girls were injured but she was the target. Her speeches about education angered them and they wanted to stop her. Malala was shot in the head and many thought that would be the end, but due to the gunman’s shaky hand she survived. Malala is now 18, an author and the youngest person to receive the Nobel peace Prize. She has left Pakistan but travels around the world fighting for the right of education and inspiring millions of people with her story and beliefs. So next time you wish you didn’t have to go to school just remember that other people risk their lives for an education.

~Janna