Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who first gained international attention for being shot in the head and nearly killed by the Taliban, celebrates her birthday on July 12. As she turns 18 today, we look at some of the interesting facts of the inspirational teenager.

Malala is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17. As the global spokesperson for girls’ education, Malala has relentlessly advocated on behalf of her cause, continuing to speak out, despite increased Taliban threats.