Ibrahim H - Investigation 2C + Final Question

Malala Yousufzai
Malala Yousufzai hails from my country, Pakistan. She is an activist for female education, and is also the youngest recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala was born in 1997 in Mingora, a small village in Pakistan (Malala’s Story). From a young age, Malala loved to learn and read (ibid.). In 2007, the Taliban took control of the region where Malala lived, and they enforced restrictions on female education (ibid.). Malala, a firm supporter of female education, began blogging for the BBC, using the pen name Gul Makai, about living under the Taliban's threats to deny her an education (“Malala Yousafzai”). With a growing public platform, Malala continued to speak about the rights of women in education, and this resulted in her being awarded Pakistan's National Youth Peace Prize (ibid.).

Malala's activism led to her being viewed as an enemy by the Taliban. The Taliban issued a death threat against Malala, but even that did not deter her (“Malala Yousafzai”). In a tragic incident in October 2012, the Taliban boarded her school bus and shot Malala in the head and neck (“Profile: Malala Yousufzai”). The shooting left Malala in a critical situation, but miraculously she survived; she was transferred to England for further treatment (“Malala Yousufzai”).

In January 2013, Malala was discharged from the hospital (Malala’s Story). The shooting had resulted in the outpouring of massive support for Malala, and by now almost the entire world knew her story. Determined to continue her education, Malala began school as soon as March 2013 (Malala’s Story). She continued advocating for female education; on July 12th, 2013, she spoke at the United Nations, and the UN has since then declared the 12th of July as ‘Malala Day’ (ibid.). Along with her dad, Malala also set up the ‘Malala Fund’ which is dedicated to help young girls pursue their right to education (ibid.). Due to her continued activism, Malala was eventually award the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, making her the youngest recipient of that award (“Profile: Malala Yousufzai”)

Currently Malala Yousufzai is completing her undergraduate from Oxford University. She remains as a role model for me, and countless others because she symbolises the fact that no matter how young or old you are, or no matter what your circumstances, you can always make a huge difference in this world. I look up to her, and in doing so remind myself that if she can do it, anyone can!

Final Question: If you could interview anyone alive or dead as to how they achieved what they did or their life path, who would it be and why?
I would love to be able to interview my role model, Steve Jobs. I have always been fascinated by Jobs' path to success, and I would love to know more about it. For instance, I am interested to know what caused him to drop out of college because unlike other college dropout entrepreneurs, Steve Jobs did not have a startup idea at the time of him leaving college. Similarly, I would like to know what was the 'lightbulb moment' for Apple Inc. i.e. where did Steve Jobs get the inspiration to come up with the idea of the computer company?

A crucial part of Jobs' road to success was his unwillingness to give up. I am curious to know what went through his mind when he was ousted from the very company that he had started. I am sure that, that was one of the lowest points in his life, and it is intriguing to know how he managed to pick himself up and go on to create two very successful companies i.e. Pixar Animation Studios and NeXT Computer. For sure, the answer to that question would provide me with inspiration to deal with setbacks in my own life.

Steve Jobs was a visionary; he was out to try and change the world. Unfortunately, nature had different plans for him, and he passed away at the (young) age of 56. If I was able to interview Steve Jobs, I would want to talk about his vision. I want to know what other plans he had, or what other ingenious ideas he was working on, which he, unfortunately, never got the chance to present to the world.