Malala lauds SAT top scorer’s achievement

Says 17-year-old epitomises Pakistan’s struggle for education

SWAT: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has lauded the achievement of 17-year-old Waleed Khan who managed a perfect score on his Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Speaking to The Express Tribune over the telephone, Malala said this is a shared achievement that has made the people of Swat proud.



“Waleed epitomises our struggle for education,” she said. “If you have dreams, which you struggle to achieve, the impediments blocking your path seem much smaller,” she said. “His achievement is an inspiration for all of us.”

Reach for the stars

SATs are a source of nightmares for students who apply for universities in Pakistan and the US. There are some who only wish to pass the test and then there are those who pass the test with flying colors. Then there is that less-than-one percent quota of students from around 1.6 million SAT aspirants each year who ace the exam with a perfect 2,400 score. Waleed is one such student.

Waleed is a student at California Modesto High School. He hails from Aboha, Swat. His family shifted to California in 1996 after his father Dr Gohar Raza graduated from the Aga Khan University in Karachi. His father is a renowned cardiologist in California now. His mother practises internal medicine. He has four brothers and a sister.





Malala’s father Ziauddin Yousafzai who was with his daughter on the phone while talking to The Express Tribune, said their family congratulates the people of Swat on this achievement. “It’s a moment of pride for all Pukhtuns, particularly the people of Swat,” he said. “Pakistan is full of talented people who keep making us proud globally.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2015.