Malala
Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head in October 2012 by a fundamentalist religious group. Reuters

Malala Yousafzai has broken all sorts of records. From being outspoken in the repressive Pakistani culture about her desire to have an education, to surviving being shot in the head, to recovering from it at light speed.

The 15-year-old returned to school on Tuesday, mere weeks after being released from a hospital.

"I am excited today that I have achieved my dream of going back to school. I want all girls in the world to have this basic opportunity."

She started as a 9th grade student at Edgbaston High School in Birmingham, England, where she had been receiving medical treatment since she was attacked. It is thought that Malala will secure permanent residence in the UK.

"I miss my classmates from Pakistan very much but I am looking forward to meeting my teachers and making new friends here in Birmingham."

Malala was attacked on Oct. 9, 2012, on her way home from school in northwestern Pakistan. A Taliban group had decided to "silence" her that way for promoting "Western thinking" in the deeply religious conservative country. But they failed in their attempt to kill her, and she was flown to Britain to receive special treatment. After undergoing surgery on her skull and receiving cochlear implants, she was discharged in February.

Instead of "silencing" her, the Taliban have turned her into a symbol for women's rights.

Malala is among this year's Nobel Peace Prize nominees and she was a finalist for Time's 2012 Person of the Year.

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