Dear Malala Yousafzai,                                                                                                                                            

I am writing to communicate my sincere gratitude for the steps you took as a young woman to convey the message of empowerment. As I sit here in this room filled with an overwhelming abundance of strong, supportive, and highly passionate female writers, I see the intense progression that society has unfolded in front of us. 

Thank you for leading us to make the world a place of equality and confidence. 

Gender inequality and sexism still haunts our world today (don’t even get me started on the controversy that has surrounded the topic of female reproductive rights). Somehow, even when it seems like women are seen in an equal light as men, the world always shoves us a few steps back. I sit here and wonder what would happen if we all used our voices to speak against the wrongdoings of today. Would we create a better tomorrow?

Though I am able to convey my opinions quite naturally, I am aware that many women residing in foreign places including India, Pakistan as well as various other areas of Asian descent cannot experience the same feelings of freedom and liberation.

It saddens me that young girls are still led to experience the cruelty of forced marriage and labor. Just as you did, people today need to see the bigger picture of the many children who cannot focus on changing the world as they are being taken advantage of in unimaginable ways. 

 If you look up the most influential women in history, you will be led to a list of leaders who fought for their rights as well as the way they wanted society advance. It’s the time to extend that growing list and give credit to the women in society today and all over the world who have made a sincere commitment to making the world a better place. 

Once more, thank you for creating a message that astonishes the minds of countless people and for taking the steps necessary to change the world moment by moment, day by day, and for an eternity.