Malala Yousafzai's friends wounded in Taliban attack continue education
(CBS News) WALES - Malala Yousafzai is considered a favorite when the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is announced Friday. On Thursday, European lawmakers awarded her their top human rights prize.
Malala is the Pakistani teenager who was shot one year ago by the Taliban for supporting girls' education. Two schoolmates were also wounded.
It would be hard to imagine a better refuge from Taliban bullets than a 12th century castle, now an international school called Atlantic College. Here, Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz started 11th grade this September on full scholarships.
CBS News last met Kainat a year ago in Pakistan, recuperating after being shot in the shoulder. She and Shazia, who that day was in the hospital, were both wounded by a Taliban gunman as they rode home next to Malala in the schoolbus.
Their school stayed open, but in the remote and conservative Swat Valley, the girls still felt threatened and had to leave.
Today, a world away, in rural Wales, Kainat showed us her wounds have healed well. But the nightmares about the shooting haven't stopped.
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"I have a little bit dreams like somebody's coming and shoot me -- not shoot me, shooting my friend," said Shazia.
Atlantic College has meant big adjustments: unfamiliar food and classmates from around the world, including what would have been unthinkable in Pakistan - boys.
Watch: Malala opens library in England, below.
But they're loving it. Both Shazia and Kainat want to study medicine, and then Shazia says she feels a responsibility to help girls get an education in Pakistan.
"I feel this is my responsibility," she said. "You help the Pakistani girls in human rights, especially for girls' rights."
"Especially girls from poor families," added Kainat. "We are symbols of what girls can do."
Things like survive a Taliban assassin, move to a new country and head back to the library on a sunny day because these girls are determined to lead by example, and education comes first.
