Education activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai spoke at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on November 18 as part of the UC Davis Chancellor’s Colloquium Distinguished Speakers Series. The event, which drew a sold-out audience of nearly 1,700 people, featured a conversation between Yousafzai and Chancellor Gary S. May.
During the discussion, Yousafzai reflected on her life beyond activism, sharing personal stories about adjusting to life in a new country as a teenager and navigating mental health challenges. She also discussed her latest memoir, Finding My Way, published last month.
“I decided to share more about my life at this stage because, of course, my story has been out in the public for a long time,” Yousafzai said. “But you know, I wanted to connect with people and reintroduce myself and share my true reflections on how life has been for me (and) what have I learned along the way, and I hope that people will get to know me more through Finding My Way.”
Yousafzai began her advocacy in 2009 by writing anonymously for the BBC about how Taliban restrictions were affecting girls’ education in Pakistan. After surviving an attack by a Taliban gunman in 2012 due to her activism, she became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at age 17.
At Tuesday’s event, Yousafzai recounted experiences such as being pulled from chemistry class upon learning she had won the Nobel Prize and struggling to adapt socially after moving to England during her recovery. She described challenges related to identity and cultural expectations while trying to fit in as a student abroad.
“I was very honest in sharing my story in this book,” Yousafzai said. “It has been really difficult.”
She noted differences in how she was perceived based on her clothing choices compared with her brothers: when photographed wearing jeans and a sweater, some critics accused her of abandoning Pakistani heritage—a criticism not directed at her siblings.
The theme of friendship resonated with attendees like Jingwen Zhang, associate professor of communication at UC Davis. Zhang attended with her daughter who had previously visited the Nobel Prize Museum and noticed few female laureates represented there. “The first question she asked me was: ‘Why are so many boys?’” Zhang said.
Throughout the evening, Yousafzai balanced humor with serious topics. When asked where she keeps her Nobel prize, she answered simply: “Undisclosed.” Responding to an audience member who had read I Am Malala eight times: “OK, that’s too much. Even I haven’t read it eight times.”
Yousafzai also addressed global education issues through work supported by the Malala Fund—which provides grants for education initiatives worldwide—and encouraged solidarity for girls seeking access to schooling under restrictive regimes.
“I know that there are millions of girls out there who, just like that 11-year-old Malala, are asking us to do something for them,” Yousafzai said. “So if there’s one thing that I want to make happen in my lifetime, it’s to ensure that girls have equal opportunities to learn, to play and to make their dreams come true.”
When asked what men can do for gender equity by Chancellor May—himself a father of two daughters—Yousafzai emphasized support from male family members: “The only thing that’s unique in my story is that my father did not stop me,” she said.
Attendees expressed appreciation for Yousafzai’s impact. Davis resident Irena Asmundson credited stories like hers as inspiration for studying economics focused on equity issues; Fidak Zaidi—a third-year international relations major—said many points were relatable as a Pakistani American living in the West.
“It was amazing,” Asmundson said.“She’s such an inspiration.”
“As a Pakistani American living in the West, a lot of her talking points were very relatable,” Zaidi said.
