Malala Yousafzai

And he tells me that we need to sneak out through the window and then walk by this narrow path on the roof.

One misstep and you could fall.

And I am just nodding and I laugh.

And I follow him, and it was a really scary way, making it up to the rooftop.

And on the rooftop, there's this bell tower, like the clock tower.

And that moment just felt surreal.

I just thought I had like conquered something.

I was breathing in the fresh air and I was looking down, just seeing some students still up at night or the light was still on in some rooms.

And I was thinking maybe that they're still trying to finish their essay or just feeling a moment of victory.

And I was so scared that I might be like kicked out of college for this and this happening so soon.

So I was terrified that being an advocate for education and then getting in trouble and being kicked out.

I think for me it was just wanting to disobey rules.

I thought I had to live up to expectations and be a certain way.

I could never get in trouble.

I thought if this is something that puts me in the cool kids category or the rebellious kids category, I want to give it a try.

I wanted these college years to be that experience that I otherwise would never come across.

Suddenly, I was 15 years old again, lying on my back under a white sheet, a tube running down my throat, eyes closed.

For seven days, as doctors tended to my wounds, I was in a coma.

From the outside, I looked to be in a deep sleep, but inside, my mind was awake, and it played a slideshow of recent events.

My school bus, a man with a gun, blood everywhere.