Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani female education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Born on July 12, 1997, she is the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, the second Pakistani, and the first Pashtun to receive the award. Yousafzai advocates for the education of women and children in her native homeland, Swat, where the Pakistani Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Her activism has gained international recognition and she is considered Pakistan's 'most prominent citizen' by former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Yousafzai draws inspiration from role models such as Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Barack Obama, and Benazir Bhutto.