My TY

Sheelan Yousefizadeh, of Our Lady of Mercy College in Beaumont, Dublin, took the initiative to interview a Nobel laureate.

Something caught my eye the day I went to Graduates Memorial Building, at Trinity College in Dublin, for a school debate on whether voting should be compulsory. It was a vibrant poster on a noticeboard. I walked over and was amazed to read that Shirin Ebadi was coming to Ireland to address Trinity's College Historical Society.

Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, human-rights activist and founder of the Association for Support of Children's Rights. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her efforts for democracy and human rights, especially for the rights of women and children. She is the first Iranian and Muslim woman to have received the prize.

I was always a big fan of her work and her commitment to the Iranian nation. As an Iranian girl, I see her as a role model. So my initial reaction was that I wanted to interview her for our transition-year school magazine. I spoke to my transition-year teacher, Ms Ryan, and she supported the idea, so I e-mailed Ebadi. I waited anxiously for a few weeks. Then I got a reply from her secretary, giving me an appointment to meet Ebadi the following day at a hotel in Dublin. I was thrilled but terrified, too. I wasn't sure what I was going to ask, and I would have to speak in Farsi.

Waiting in the hotel lobby with my friend Susan, who was there to take photographs, was so nerve-racking that my hands were sweaty. When Ebadi arrived we were introduced, and then I started the interview.

This wasn't Ebadi's first visit to Ireland, she told me. In May last year she came to Galway for a conference on women's rights.

From her first answers, it was obvious that she was a woman with pride and belief in the future of her country who cares deeply for the welfare of her fellow citizens. She spoke strongly about the abilities of the youth and the women of Iran and how their hard work and protests have resulted in changes to legislation in areas such as custody law.

When I asked why she became a lawyer, she said that it was something she had always loved. She recalled her childhood. "I remember when I used to walk in the street and see two kids fighting. Without even knowing the story I would go to rescue the kid that was being beaten."

Her father, a liberal, believed in social discussion and education for girls. This persuaded her to study law, "because I thought that, this way, I could better achieve my ambitions in life".

I learned a lot from our meeting. In particular, I will always remember how the work of one woman in a male-dominated country can make such a difference in the world.

Ebadi advised me to be "strong, courageous and go forward. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are a right of human beings. If you are to idolise other people because you are afraid of making your own mistakes, you will never get anywhere or achieve anything".