Fifteen year-old Malala Yousafzai was discharged from the hospital on Feb. 8, after an assassination attempt a few months prior.
According to The New York Times, the Pakistani school girl was shot by the Taliban in a van returning home from school on Oct. 9, 2012. The bullet entered above her left eye, grazed her brain and was lodged in her neck.
Yousafzai underwent immediate surgery in Pakistan to remove the bullet and six days later was airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England. She was initially discharged on Jan. 4, with plans for additional surgeries to rebuild her skull.
According to The New York Times, Yousafzai rose to prominence through the British Broadcasting Corporation in 2009 with a diary blog describing her life under the Taliban rule. She expressed her passion for education conquering her fear of Taliban tragedy.
“I was afraid of going to school because the Taliban had issued an edict banning all girls from attending schools,” Yousafzai wrote in early January 2009. “But my heart was beating fast – as I have to go to school tomorrow.”
WTAMU student Rikki Boelens, junior Mechanical Engineering major, is inspired by Yousafzai’s strength.
“It’s inspiring to know she would go to such lengths for an education,” Boelens said.
Shortly after sharing journal entries in 2009, Yousafzai was featured by The New York Times in a documentary illustrating her daily challenges and vowed aspirations of becoming a medical doctor and politician. According to The New York Post, this “western thinking” made her the primary target of the Taliban.
On Feb. 4, four days before leaving the hospital, Yousafzai reassured the world of her strength in a video statement provided by ABC News.
“I’m getting better day by day,” said Yousafzai. “I want to serve the people. I want every girl, every child to be educated.”
WTAMU student Katy Spruiell, a junior Advertising and Public Relations major, applauds Yousafzai’s brave efforts.
“It’s refreshing to see someone stepping out and being courageous,” Spruiell said.
