Eminent Introductory Blog Post

“I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. And my dreams are the same … I am here to speak for the right of education for every child. I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all the terrorists and extremists. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there was a gun in my hand and he was standing in front of me, I would not shoot him.”

Malala Yousafzai, July 12th, 2013, UN speech 

I was six years old when Malala was shot and she began being recognized all over the world. I remember being very proud of her and inspired by her bravery to stand up for her rights! Malala’s vision of the future is one where women have equal rights for education. She has always fought for that peacefully, and I think that’s equally as important for her eminence as her activism itself. Her morals, objectives, and uniqueness are a huge part of what drew me to her and inspired me to conclude that she would be a great choice for my project. Malala has been speaking up for women’s education rights since she was little by protesting against the actions of the Taliban, an Islamic political movement, when she was only eleven! Her activism only grew from there. But while Malala being recognized helped her activism efforts, it also brought danger, and Malala got shot. She luckily survived, and her story sparked support for her all over the world, which helped Malala bring to light the injustices women face in education. Despite her near-death experience, Malala persevered and kept working towards a better future. Malala’s story just radiates eminence, and I’m excited to go in-depth for the research, using sources like her memoir, to share her story! For the next phase of my research, I plan to read said memoir, as it’s sure to be an invaluable resource, and begin looking for some people to interview.

Malala and I, while being very different, also have lots of things in common. A goal of mine is to make the world a better place, and that’s exactly what Malala has done! We both know what it’s like living as a girl in a society that’s often unfair to them, and that has motivated us to care more about women’s rights and education. We both have big visions of the future that we want to achieve and are very determined to make it happen. Lastly, Malala’s integrity and selflessness leads her to help others escape injustice, not just herself, and I strive to do the same! Malala would make a good TALONS student and is a great role model for this program. She has very strong leadership skills and has spoken to very prominent figures such as Barak Obama. She’s been in many situations that require exceptional leadership, people, and communication skills! She has made a positive difference in the world, and I think that’s a goal we all have. She’s also well educated, as that’s the very right she fought for, and that’s also a goal of TALONS! I don’t know much about Malala’s country and faith, so that’s a barrier I will have to overcome during my eminent project. However, I intend to use my time researching Malala wisely by also learning about Pakistan and the Islamic religion, with the hope of connecting better with Malala and having that show in my project. Malala has inspired millions of girls and other people all around the world to stand up for their rights and freedoms. Malala has unwaveringly fought for women’s education rights, and that has improved the lives of so many women and girls. I think Malala will be remembered for a long time. She’s already done so much in her life, and she is only twenty-four years old, so just imagine what she might accomplish in the future! Since she’s inspired so many people to follow in her footsteps, her actions will likely be carried on by many future generations. 

Malala has been an incredible inspiration for me, and I want to pay that forward during my eminent project. 

Want to watch Malala’s UN speech? Click here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SClmL43dTo

Research Sources:

Strauss, E. (2013, October 17). What about Malala’s religion? The Forward. https://forward.com/life/185751/what-about-malalas-religion/. 

Spary, S. (2020, June 19). Malala Yousafzai finishes Oxford University, says now is time for ‘netflix, reading and sleep’. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/world/malala-completes-oxford-studies-scli-intl-gbr/index.html. 

Malala Yousafzai. (2021, October 18). Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai. 

Image Sources:

Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai Announced as Key Speakers at IIFMENA Conference. (n.d.). Middle East Business. https://middleeast-business.com/nobel-laureate-malala-yousafzai-announced-as-key-speakers-at-iifmena-conference/. 

Education Campaigner and Nobel prize-winner Malala Yousafzai celebrates straight As in GCSEs. (2015). itv. https://www.itv.com/news/2015-08-21/education-campaigner-and-nobel-prize-winner-malala-yousafzai-celebrates-straight-as-in-gcses

Joshi, P. (2017). Malala Yousafzai Received an Offer to Study at a Top UK University. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/nobel-prize-winner-malala-yousafzai-received-offer-to-study-at-oxford-university-2017-3

7 thoughts on “Eminent Introductory Blog Post

  1. I really enjoyed learning more about Malala’s story. She is truly inspiring. The quote was also very deep and detailed. I love that both you and Malala stand for women’s rights. I also feel like I share this similarity. A piece of feedback I would give you is to look more into Malala’s life as a child to see how she cared about school and what life was like for her as a young girl in that society.

  2. You had an unbreakable connection with Malala. The way you described your passions and how they align with hers should be considered as a writing accomplishment. I was engaged throughout the entire entry. I don’t know if you had to include this for your grade 10 eminent person introduction, but I didn’t see a section telling us about your next stage in your research. If this requirement was only for the grade 9 students please ignore my critique.

    1. I’m so glad you liked it! I did actually include my plan for the next phase of my research at the end of the first bit of my paragraph, but it was kinda small so I probably should have made it more clear and perhaps give it it’s own paragraph. Thanks for the feedback!

  3. Nice job on your presentation of this person! I like how the quote shows her personality really well. I think your connection is a really nice one. We need more people wanting to make this world better and taking initiative for that. One thing I would suggest is giving more specific examples of how she protested, although maybe some of them were unseen by me.

  4. Hey Xylia, I think that you are going to do a very good job of eminent this year, It is evident that you are passionate about doing Malala and that she has many characteristics of an eminent person.

  5. Amazing job Xylia! Your post is incredibly well-written and cited. I think that Malala is a great choice for this project. I have had Malala’s book at my house for a while now but I never got around to reading it. However, I think that your project might just inspire me to do so. Moving forward I think it would be interesting if you looked into how her near-death experience influenced her/changed her life.

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