More than two months after the assassination attempt, Malala is still undergoing treatment. She went from an intensive care unit in Pakistan to a hospital in the British city of Birmingham.

Before she left home, she was unconscious. She now walks, writes and reads.

After she regains her strength, she will undergo more surgeries.

It is astounding that she suffered no major brain or nerve damage from the shooting, her doctors say.

Her story of defiance has sparked marches worldwide demanding girls' education.

It has inspired girls in far-flung areas, who relate to her because she is a child herself.

World leaders have hailed the "Malala effect" that made young girls even more determined to get an education.

On Nov. 10, the United Nations marked Malala Day to honor her advocacy work.

And her fight for education is not over yet.

In a message this month thanking supporters, she told them not to make this about her.

"People have actually supported a cause, not an individual," she said. "Let's work together to educate girls around the world."

In her continued commitment to education, she called on Pakistani officials Friday to reverse a decision to name a school after her. She made the request over safety concerns for the students after the Taliban attacked the school.

Before she intervened, students protested and tore down her pictures over the decision to name the school after her, saying the move put them at risk.

'A new heroine'

Pakistani girls' education has long been hampered by widespread poverty and threats by hardline Islamist groups.

The United Nations estimates 32 million girls worldwide don't have access to an education. Roughly 10 percent of those live in Pakistan.

"Pakistan has a new heroine and a new cause -- a girl's right to education," former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said last month. "Malala's courage has awoken Pakistan's silent majority who are no longer prepared to tolerate the threats and intimidations of the Pakistan Taliban."

Since Malala was 11, she has used her blog to encourage girls to go to school despite Taliban threats. Her focus led her homeland to award her its first National Peace Prize last year.

In January 2009, militants took over her once-tranquil city in Swat Valley and ordered schools to stop educating girls. She blogged about the Taliban's efforts to scare girls away from learning institutions.

They raided homes to confiscate books, she said. Malala hid hers under her bed.