EXCLUSIVE: Malala Yousafzai Continues Her Fight For Education One Year Later

Oct. 11, 2013 — -- Malala Yousafzai nearly died a year ago this week because she wanted the right to go to school.

Last year, the 16-year-old was singing with a group of other girls on their school bus, when a gunman boarded the bus and shot her point blank in the face. The bullet missed her brain, and Malala survived the Taliban assassination attempt.

Today, Malala is now an international symbol of girls rights' for education and security through her efforts to fight extremism and oppression.

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"I think that death didn't want to kill me," Malala told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview.

SLIDESHOW: Activist Malala Yousafzai Shot: One Year Later

Malala, a school girl from the Swat Valley region in northwest Pakistan, spoke out against the Taliban after they issued an edict in 2009 banning all girls from going to school in Swat. At the age of 11, Malala began blogging for the BBC about her life under the Taliban, denouncing their attacks on schools, teachers and students. She also appeared in a New York Times documentary by Adam B. Ellick, "Class Dismissed," which detailed her fight against the Taliban.

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"We are starving for education," Malala said. "For us, it's like a precious gift. It's like a diamond."

However, the Taliban sent warnings to Malala and her father to be silent at the penalty of death.

"They cannot stop me. I will get my education, if it is in home, school, or anyplace," Malala said.

Malala told Diane Sawyer that, before the attack, she planned what she would say if an attacker did come.

"I will tell that man that I even want education for your daughter," Malala said.

She said she thought words and pens were more powerful than guns.

On Oct. 9, 2012, two men with guns approached Malala's school bus. One of the men climbed onto the bus asked, "Who is Malala?"

WATCH: Malala Yousafzai Describes Day She Was Shot in the Head

Malala said she didn't remember what happened next, but the two doctors who helped to save her life said that in the 72 hours that followed, Malala was close to death.

"The chances of being shot at point blank range in the head and that happening, I don't know," Dr. Fiona Reynolds told Diane Sawyer. "I don't know why she survived."

"The fact that she didn't die on the spot or very soon thereafter is to my mind nothing short of miraculous," Dr. Javid Kayani told Diane Sawyer.

RELATED: The 72 Hours That Saved Malala: Doctors Reveal for the First Time How Close She Came to Death

Malala woke up in a hospital in England, with a long road to recovery ahead of her.

She had to undergo several surgeries, including one to reconnect the nerve on her face. Although the hearing in Malala's left ear was lost forever, she received a cochlear implant.

"I have never seen Malala cry," Dr. Reynolds said. "She didn't even squeeze my hand when they were sticking needles into her."

Eventually Malala made a full recovery and was ready to appear in front of the world once again.

"Doctors are still working on my physiotherapy and still thinking about the left side of my face and also thinking about my jaw," Malala said. "But that's just small things. I'm recovered."

On her 16th birthday, Malala addressed the United Nations on the importance of education.