I don’t know about you, but I needed some good news today, and I’ve totally found it. Malala Yousafzai, now the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate after fervently advocating for girls’ education, has announced that she’s heading to Oxford University soon. This is so well deserved.
The New York Times reports that the 20-year-old shared her big news on Twitter, posting a screenshot of her acceptance notice.
So excited to go to Oxford!! Well done to all A-level students – the hardest year. Best wishes for life ahead! pic.twitter.com/miIwK6fNSf
— Malala (@Malala) August 17, 2017
“So excited to go to Oxford!” Malala wrote alongside the screenshot. “Best wishes for life ahead!”
The young activist relocated to England’s Birmingham with her family following medical treatment of wounds she received when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head for supporting girls’ education. Since then, she has led the Malala Fund, which strives to help “every girl…learn and lead without fear,” and published her powerful memoir I Am Malala.
Malala had hints of an future at Oxford back in March, when she received a conditional offer that would be fulfilled depending on her A-level results, or the United Kingdom’s slightly more complex equivalent of SAT exams. She was accepted into the university’s Lady Margaret Hall college, which the former prime minister of Malala’s native Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, also attended.
Malala will take on a degree of philosophy, politics and economics, a program that’s known for its notable alumni. Bhutto, former UK prime minister David Cameron and even actor Riz Ahmed have completed the degree. I think it’s safe to say that Malala won’t have any trouble living up to these names! Before she hits the book at Oxford, she’ll travel throughout the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to meet with other girls facing difficulty in their paths to receiving education.
Understandably, people have flocked to wish Malala congratulations on Twitter, including J.K. Rowling. Nbd, right?
Congratulations, Malala! X
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 17, 2017
Congratulations, Malala! I can’t wait you to see you do even more amazing things in the future.