A Meal with Malala for the Women of the World by ELIZABETH

A Meal with Malala for the Women of the World by ELIZABETH - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

I feel that engaging in an amazing conversation about our frustrations, dreams, hopes and desires for the world with Malala Yousafazi over dinner would be one of the greatest experiences of my life. She is an astonishing young woman who encompasses so much strong-will, peace and bravery in her heart. She is my hero. To have compromised her life and well being for the right to education of young girls and women is an action completely selfless and praise worthy.

As an American citizen, value my right to education but many American students deny their privilege as an overrated bother. I will never forget being a 7th grader in my choir class listening to all the others complaining about their lack of understanding on why they have to learn the math of notation when music is supposed to be an art. This is when I had my first realization and appreciation for education. ‘I don’t know why I’m learning this, but I just know it’s going to be important in the future’ is the short of my though process. And again, in high school, I had another revelation – I quickly learned that education was my only way out. Out of what, exactly - my miserable life that I could not understand why it was so. Why such horrible events had to happen to me, this young fifteen- year old girl to make her feel so void of life, so sad.

I did not want to feel like this any more, and education and extra curricular activities were the only areas of interest for me in distracting my heavy heart and dark memories. I completely immersed myself in it. To the point where I transformed from that middle school girl who originally never wanted to join choir in the first place because I thought it was not something that was cool, to a young woman who became the president of her choral department and graduated as a part of the top twenty students with multiple honors and department awards.

And, this is how I made it to college. I endured the sleepless nights and sacrificed my nutritional health living off iced coffee and chips because I could not afford anything else and could not enjoy being at home much. I always knew becoming educated was my calling and now I know it is because it was the only way to understand why my life was the way it was, and who I am and why I escaped who I was expected to become. Education is what set me free. Free from the chains of my past, and the cyclical oppression of my people. Education set me free from being an abused and abusive woman facing everyday violence and exploitation like all my family before me. I was very much on this path and had been that child caught in the middle of such cases, but I made it.

This is the story I would love to share with Malala over a lovely dinner. And I would hope for her to share hers. Together we can discuss, cry, laugh and celebrate our accomplishments. I wish to thank her for all that she has done, because my story is inclusive of all the other girls and women in the world who find education to be their salvation. As Malala has been quoted, the same is true for me as well, “I tell my story not because it is unique, but because it is not. It is the story of many girls”. What an honor it would be for me to share anything – dinner, a conversation, and such like-mindedness – with the great Malala.