Angelina Jolie, 38, went public with her double mastectomy surgery in February after discovering she carried the "faulty" breast cancer gene, BRCA1, in the hopes "that other women can benefit from my experience," the actress wrote in the New York Times when she shared her news in May. "Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness." She went on to add, "On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity."
In April, Jolie honored 15-year-old Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai – who was shot in the head by Taliban members in late 2012 – at an event in New York City. "There's a lot we can learn from this little girl," Jolie told the crowd at the Women in the World Summit, where she pledged $200,000 to the teen's new fund to educate Pakistani girls. Yousafzai's reply? "[This] is the happiest moment in my life."
After spending nearly a decade working as a goodwill ambassador for the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Jolie was appointed as a Special Envoy of UNHCR António Guterres in 2012. The actress's travels have taken her everywhere from Iraq and Jordan to Syria, Afghanistan and beyond, where she's met with those displaced by conflict and advocated on their behalf. "I believe in what the UN has always stood for," she told National Geographic, "equality and the protection of human rights for all people." In November, her volunteer work earned Jolie an honorary Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
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