Malala Yousafzai Receives Sakharov Prize For Freedom of Thought From European Parliament

Pakistani education advocate was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman last year

(CNN) -- It's easy to guess what Malala Yousafzai would do with roughly $67,000. Spend it to educate children, particularly girls in her native Pakistan, she has said in the past.

But it wasn't about the money when the 16-year-old, who survived a Taliban assassination attempt for her activism, picked up the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday.

She tried not to make the occasion about herself, after accepting the blue framed plaque and walking up to the microphone in high heels. She had worn them to be seen over the podium, she explained to the audience.