At just 17, Malala Yousafzai has dedicated her life to fighting for girls' education around the world. And she has now received the ultimate honor for her sacrifice and hard work.

Malala, who was shot in the head by the Taliban two years ago for campaigning to be educated, became the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize today. The BBC reports she was joined in Oslo by a group of fellow schoolgirls, including her two classmates who were also shot by the Taliban that day.

The Pakistani teenager, who now lives in the U.K, received the honor alongside Kailash Satyarthi, who campaigns for children's rights in India. The chairman of the Norwegian Nobel committee gave them their prizes in the presence of Norway's King Harald V.

As she began her Nobel lecture, Malala thanked her friends, teachers, and loved ones, and especially her father, "for not clipping my wings and for letting me fly." She went on to make a passionate case for learning, especially for young girls. "It is time to take action so it becomes the last time that we see a child deprived of education," she said during her passionate speech.

She said she will dedicate the Nobel prize money to the Malala Fund, her charity that aims to give girls education around the world. She especially wants to build a secondary school for girls in her hometown in Pakistan.

She also called on world leaders to finally take action on global education, for the many girls around the world who are blocked from achieving their dreams. "Though I appear as one girl, one person, who is 5 foot 2 inches tall, if you include my high heels, I am not a lone voice, I am many," she said.

You can the full text of the speech here, and watch the full ceremony on the Nobel Prize's YouTube page.

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From the editors of ELLE.com

Photos: Getty Images

From: ELLE US