Millennial Movers & Shakers

Millennials are labeled the "entitled" generation. The way we approach work and life seemingly upsets the rest of the world somehow. I'm not sure why because there are plenty of movers and shakers in our generation. If your only response to detractors is "Well, there's Mark Zuckerberg...,"  remind them about these millennials who are taking on the world.

Malala Yousafzai

It would be difficult to find a more heroic figure than Malala Yousafzai. Born in 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan, Malala became a girls' education advocate when she was a child. That may not sound so revolutionary except that the Taliban had a strong presence in Mingora. Under Taliban rule, girls are not permitted to attend school and educate themselves. Her vocal support for girls' education, blogging for the BBC about living under threats to deny girls an education, and her famous speech in Peshawar entitled, "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?" led the Taliban to issue a death sentence against her. The threat almost succeeded when a Taliban gunman shot Malala in the head in 2012. 

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Malala survived the attack and was moved to Birmingham, England to recover. She had multiple surgeries but incredibly she suffered no major brain damage. She stayed in Birmingham and went to school there.

Since her recovery, Malala has written an autobiography and, on her 16th birthday, she gave a speech at the United Nations. In 2014, Malala became the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize.
Malala is still a vocal advocate for girls' education. In July 2015, Malala opened a girls' school in Lebanon for Syrian refugees. The expenses were funded by her charitable organization, The Malala Fund. The Taliban still considers Malala dangerous. She lives with that threat every day.

Rafael Nadal

If you're into tennis at all, you've heard his name. Rafael Nadal is currently the fifth ranked men's professional tennis player in the world. Nicknamed "Rafa," he is widely considered the king of clay courts.

Rafa began playing tennis in his native Spain when he was a 4-year-old. He became a pro at age 15. Over his pro career, Rafa has won Olympic gold in singles at the 20078 Olympics, 14 Grand Slam single titles, 17 ATP World Tour 500 tournament and 28 ATP World Masters 1000 titles.

Tennis is not his only crowning achievement, however. In November 2007, he created the Fundacion Raga Nadal to focus on development aid for underprivileged children and youth and provide social work services in under-served regions. Rafa explains "I am doing very well and I owe society."

Mhairi Black

Mhairi Black is known as the Baby of the House, the baby of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom that is. Elected in May 2015, Mhairi was only 20 years and 237 days old when elected, making her the youngest Member of Parliament since 1832's reform act. When elected she was an undergrad at the University of Glasgow.

After she won the election, tweets from Mhairi's younger days became public. Of course, having used Twitter since she was 14, there were some tweets that upset the easily shocked. Swearing, partying and drinking didn't go over too well with a few, but most people realized that they all sounded pretty normal for a teenager. A well-respected Member of Parliament, only time will tell what the future holds for this vocal advocate of marriage equality.
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Now you have a few more names to add to your list of millennial movers and shakers.