Survivor Activist Malala Yousafzai Addresses the UN

In October 2012 members of the Pakistani Taliban approached Malala's school bus as she left school in the Swat Valley, coldly asking which of the girls seated inside was Malala. Once identified, the men opened fire, shooting Malala in the forehead while also wounding two of her fellow passengers.

Malala was targeted for nothing more than being vocal about the need for educational and gender equality in Pakistan and around the world. Malala wrote a blog for the BBC in 2009 describing life under the Taliban, and was later the subject of a New York Times documentary. Malala's activism was sparked by the difficulties she faced accessing education, particularly as the Taliban sporadically banned girls from attending school.

Already nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the Children's Peace Prize, and Pakistan's National Youth Peace Prize, Malala ended her speech by exclaiming:

"Let us pick up our books and our pens: they are our most powerful weapons. One child; one teacher; one book; and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education first!"