Malala Fund co-founder speaks on women and education


Shiza Shahid, a 25-year-old social entrepreneur who cofounded the Malala Fund, spoke about the importance of empowering girls through education on Wednesday afternoon.

The event was co-sponsored by Speakers Committee and Political Student Assembly.

The event began with a presentation by Shahid, followed by a Q&A session moderated by professor Fran Seegull, an adjunct professor at the Marshall School of Business, followed by a meet-and-greet.

Shahid quit her job after Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education and rights and co-founded the Malala Fund, a nonprofit organization that works to break the cycle of poverty and empower girls through education.

The Malala Fund has been promoting secondary education for girls in six countries, including Pakistan, Nigeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Sierra Leone and Kenya. Forbes reported that the organization has raised $400,000 in funding, half of which came from the World Bank and the other half from Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

During her presentation, Shahid showed a CNN news video of the summer camp in Pakistan she planned for girls, including Yousafzai, to inspire them to better advocate for the change that they believe in.

“I was really excited about engaging with students here because it’s a great university and has an emphasis on entrepreneurship,” Shahid said. “I was excited to see a lot of international students and women in the audience. I’m really excited to see some of these students go forward to create social businesses and nonprofits that take on social issues.”

Due to her efforts in advocating for young girls and their education, Shahid was recently named one of TIME’s “30 People Under 30 Changing the World” and one of Forbes’ “2015 30 Under 30: Social Entrepreneurs.”

Joshua Chang, marketing director of Speakers Committee, said that he hopes attendees use their education in an impactful manner.

“It’s important for USC students to attend because some of the USC students are entrepreneurship majors and they could see an example of what they could do with their majors,” Chang said. “She’s a great role model for students to look up to.”

“I loved how her call-to-action was for everyone. Whatever your passions are, whatever your background is, you can affect change wherever you are,” said Olivia Chui, a sophomore majoring in business administration and communication.

Merhawi Tecle, a senior majoring in political economy, said the talk empowered women and encouraged the pursuit of dreams.

“Being a brother of three sisters, I’ve always seen my parents, even though they’re very supportive, to wish me to do well and follow my dreams but to my sisters that they should eventually have a child and live up to these female responsibilities,” he said.

Shahid wanted to inspire others through her personal stories and experiences.

“I hope students walk away with some thoughts to reflect on in terms of their own life choices,” Shahid said. “I always share my personal stories because I want to talk about the experiences that I’ve had and students can reflect on their own journeys and what they’re passionate about, what they want to do with their life and what they’re empowered [by] to make a difference.”