Malala Yousafzai is my “role model,” says Reese Witherspoon

On the day Malala Yousafzai made history by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Reese Witherspoon celebrated the work of the 17-year-old activist, while accepting an award for her own philanthropic efforts with the Malala Fund, reports PEOPLE magazine.

The 38-year-old Oscar winner was honored by Variety at its Power of Women event, sponsored by Moroccanoil.

Malala Yousafzai, co-founder of the Malala Fund, grew up in the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan, and has risked her life to empower girls through education. Witherspoon first learned of Yousafzai when her own daughter, Ava, 15, brought the courageous teen to her attention.

In accepting her award Friday, Witherspoon called Yousafzai “amazing” and shared with the audience – which included fellow honorees Viola Davis, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez and Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley – about meeting her “role model.”

“This summer, we got to meet Malala … Ava and I,” said Witherspoon. “We got to have dinner with her at a friend’s house, which was incredible. She sat next to Ava at dinner and they talked about schoolwork and homework and what their life goals were, and Ava was just in awe of this 17-year-old woman.”

“When I was 14, I was worried about learning my lines and impressing casting directors,” said Witherspoon. “When Malala Yousafzai was 14, she was speaking out against an oppressive regime and fighting for the rights for girls to be educated around the world.”

According to Witherspoon, her daughter became interested in helping other women at a young age, one day when Ava did not want to go to school.

“Instead of saying my usual, ‘Mommy’s not awake yet. We can talk about it after coffee,’ I actually took the opportunity to explain to her that there are a lot of girls all over the world who don’t even get the opportunity to even go to school,” recalled Witherspoon about her conversation with Ava, then in the third grade.

“My daughter found that astounding, and from that point on, Ava became determined to help others understand the plight of women around the world.”