Young Women Creating Change: Women’s History Month

Malala Yousafzai

By: Jeremy Arriaza, Bethany Lamberti, and Valerie Nassar

Malala Yousafzai is an education activist for women. She created the Malala Fund, a charity that’s devoted to supporting equal education opportunities around the world, to help achieve her goals. As of now, the charity has raised $7 million, allowing Malala to open several schools. On top of this amazing work, she’s won multiple awards and prizes due to her activism. 

Malala was born on July 12, 1997 in the city of Mingora in Pakistan. Growing up, she had a happy and peaceful childhood. She received the majority of her education from her father, who was a teacher and went to a school for girls, which developed her personal thirst for knowledge. 

When she was just ten years old, the Taliban took control of Pakistan and girls like Malala were banned from attending school. Malala became determined to continue her education, and she stood up to the Taliban on Pakistani TV,  saying, “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?” It was after this appearance and more advocation for girls’ education that a Talibani terrorist boarded a school bus Malala was riding and shot her in the head. This was in 2012, and she was only 15 years old. 

According to Malala’s profile from The Nobel Prize, as an 11 year old child, Malala wrote in a diary where she spoke against the Taliban that was published internationally in 2009 by BBC Urdu. In 2011, her movement of trying to have girls go to school reached social media, and she was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize. She was also awarded the Pakistan’s National Youth Prize. After she recovered from her gun wound in her head, on July 12, 2013 she visited New York and spoke at the United Nations, and TIME magazine listed her as “The 100 Most Influential People in the Word. Then, she published her first book titled, I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, which became a bestseller. She would then receive the Sakharov Prize for Freedom and Thought in October the same year. In 2014, Malala, at age 17, was named for the Nobel Peace Prize and became the youngest person to receive one.

Greta Thunberg

By: Sam Stokem and Morgan Uhlhorn

Greta Thunberg is a 19 year old environmental activist who has gained recognition for her work surrounding climate change. Thunberg has actively challenged lawmakers to take action against climate inaction, inspiring many citizens to participate in the fight against the climate crisis worldwide. Thunberg has been awarded with several accomplishments for her profound activism, including Time’s 2019 “Person of the Year.” From her impactful speeches to her fearless persona when it comes to defending her beliefs, Thunberg has greatly become a prominent woman figure in today’s society. 

According to her biography from Britannica, Thunberg learned about the climate change crisis at about age eight and developed an immensely strong focus on what it entailed due to her Asperger Syndrome, now known as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Once she initially learned of the crisis she first took smaller, more personal steps to help such as not traveling by airplane and changing her habits to a vegan lifestyle. 

In 2018, at just age 15, she began her most influential step that gained her the recognition she has today. She missed school in September of that year to stay outside the Swedish parliament with a poster that stated “Skolstrejk för Klimatet,” which is English for “School Strike for Climate.” Even after the Swedish election of that year, she continued to persist in skipping school on Fridays to carry out a strike. She called these days of strike “Fridays for Future.” Her relentless determination and drive for climate change inspired many students to follow in her footsteps and provided her with the opportunities for a more globally heard voice and worldwide recognition that she has acquired today.  

Amanda Gorman

By: Isabella Andriulli, Emily Becker, and Sirriah Pope

Though only 24 years old, Amanda Gorman is an extraordinary woman. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Gorman is the author of the influential poem, “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country,” read at President Biden’s inauguration. Her poems are about inspiring others to be the best version of themselves by using empowering words, and her writings and messages travel far, reaching many. . 

In addition to her poems being about self improvement, she also writes about the recent tragedies going on in the United States, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate issues and changes, and racism, according to an article on the artist from PBS. In her poems she describes how it was to grow up as a young person of color in America. When she speaks, people listen and take every verse she says to heart. These informative pieces do not go un-read and have a great impact upon many readers. 

Among her accomplishments as being a highly respected poet, according to her website, Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet and has been invited to the White House and other venues such as CBS This Morning numerous times throughout her young career. She also wrote for numerous publications, including the New York Times. On top of all of this, Gorman was appointed and awarded many accolades including the National Youth Poet Laureate from Urban Word and the Poets & Writers Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award.