Greta Thunberg has revealed that Malala Yousafzai is her role model.
The teenage climate activist met Yousafzai – the youngest recipient of the Nobel peace prize – at Oxford University, where the latter studies.
Thunberg spoke to some of the other students about the climate, and the pair discussed activism.
She’s the only friend I’d skip school for. pic.twitter.com/uP0vwF2U3K
— Malala (@Malala) February 25, 2020
Role model
Thunberg, 17, later took to Twitter to share an image of the pair. She captioned it: “So… today I met my role model. What else can I say?”
Yousafzai, 22, shared an image on Instagram, writing: “Thank you Greta Thunberg.”
She also shared the photo on Twitter, captioning it: “She’s the only friend I’d skip school for.”
So… today I met my role model. What else can I say? @Malala pic.twitter.com/n7GnXUngov
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 25, 2020
Campaigners
The meeting has provoked huge interest, given both Thunberg’s and Yousafzai’s global profiles as activists.
Yousafzai made headlines worldwide in 2012, when she was shot in the head by the Taliban in Pakistan, as a response to her campaigning for girls to be educated. In 2014, she was awarded the Nobel peace prize for her advocacy of education.
Thunberg has skyrocketed to global fame in over the last year or so, due to her environmental campaigning. She has won numerous prizes for her advocacy work, and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 and 2020.