Here it is, the photo we only knew we needed once it landed in our Instagram feeds today, of the moment Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg met for the first time. And it was taken on UK soil.
What a pairing. 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’d love to see a reunion pic of these two celebrating.
Soon after Malala posted to Instagram, she tweeted the same picture with the caption: “She’s the only friend I’d skip school for.”
Meanwhile, Greta shared a second pic of the pair on her own account, writing: “So… today I met my role model. What else can I say?”
The 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 then posted to Instagram three days ago to say she was coming to the UK this week to join the school strike in Bristol. Meanwhile, Yousafzai is currently an undergraduate student studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University, and should graduate this summer.
The pair appear to have co-ordinated calendars for a meeting between lectures (great diarising, everyone). Needless to say, a lot of students were excited to see them strolling through the Oxford halls together.
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.
Plus, if these two women are changing the world before they even hit 25, what excuse is there for the rest of us to sit back and do nothing?
