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Greta Thunberg Meeting Malala Yousafzai Has Been A Long Time Coming

The activist pair were at Oxford University at the same time and showed their mutual respect on social media.

They’re two of the most famous young faces in the world, so it was really only a matter of time before Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg met in person.

Yousafzai, the 22-year-old Pakistani-born education campaigner, became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in 2014. Now, 17-year-old Swedish climate activist Thunberg looks hot on her heels, after being nominated for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.

The winner will be announced later this year, and if it goes to Greta, we might just be able to expect a reunion pic of these two celebrating.

But for the time being, their mutual respect for each other is obvious in the social media posts they each sent out after meeting face-to-face.

Soon after Malala posted to Instagram, she tweeted the same picture with the caption “She’s the only friend I’d skip school for.”

For her part, Thunberg tweeted out images of the duo as well, calling Yousafzai her “role model.”

Their meeting was only a matter of time – when Thunberg joined climate strikes in New York City last September, Yousafzai tweeted her support. “I’m so happy to see that young women around the world are leading the climate movement. Thank you to girls like @GretaThunberg for using your voice, speaking truth to power — and encouraging other young people to do the same,” she wrote.

Thunberg posted to Instagram three days ago to say she was coming to the U.K. this week to join the school strike in Bristol. Meanwhile, Yousafzai is currently an undergraduate student studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University.

The pair appear to have co-ordinated calendars for a meeting between lectures. Needless to say, a lot of students were excited to see them strolling down the Oxford halls together.

Fans across the Internet couldn’t help but chime in, with many lauding the impact the pair have already had on younger generations.

We can only imagine what the pair are plotting now – better education on the environment, perhaps? A round-the-world boat trip for girls’ educational rights?

Either way, it’s made us reminisce about the moment you meet a mentor a few years ahead of you at work – and how great it is when they share their wisdom.

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