With great eloquence, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai shared her life story with thousands of audience members young and old at the SJSU Event Center the evening June 26.

After introductory remarks by President Mohammad Qayoumi and novelist Khaled Hosseini, Yousafzai spoke without the benefit of notes or a podium, appealing directly to the crowd, before taking a seat beside Hosseini for a question-and-answer session.

The president noted he and Hosseini are both from Afghanistan, which has a shared history with Yousafzai’s native Pakistan. An avid reader, Yousafzai counts Hosseini among her favorite authors for his realistic depictions of war.

In October 2012, Yousafzai was shot in an attempt by the Taliban to silence her. Just 15 years old at the time, she was already an outspoken proponent for girls’ education in her country and throughout the world, a role she resumed after recovering.

Today, Yousafzai and her family live in Birmingham, England. Her San Jose visit came amid a series of U.S. speaking engagements and events including a 70th anniversary celebration for the United Nations in San Francisco.