Speaking to a gathering of 1,400 guests at the Liberty Medal ceremony at the National Constitution Center, Penn President Amy Gutmann praised 17-year-old Medal recipient Malala Yousafzai, “for her powerful force for good on our planet."

Gutmann, a trustee of the National Constitution Center and the chair of the committee that selected Yousafzai as this year’s recipient, highlighted the power of education in her introduction of Yousafzai, thanking her for “reminding us that education is the hand that rocks the cradle of liberty.”

"You show what the youth of our world can accomplish,” Gutmann told the honoree. “Through the Malala Fund, you have made the education and empowerment of young women a global priority. We share your conviction that a world at peace, a just world, will only come about when women have a full-throated voice in the decisions that shape their futures."

Yousafzai, the 26th recipient of the Liberty Medal, awarded to those who “strive for the blessings of liberty,” plans to use her $100,000 prize to support educational and humanitarian efforts in Pakistan.

The Liberty Medal presentation to Yousafzai, comes on the heels of her becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

She rose to international attention after surviving being shot by Taliban gunmen as reprisal for her vocal campaign criticizing the ban on education for girls in Pakistan. She has since dedicated her life to campaigning for girls’ education.