Photo of Ziauddin Yousafzai and Malala Yousafzai courtesy of Ziauddin Yousafzai.

Ziauddin Yousafzai is the father of activist Malala Yousafzai and the co-founder of the Malala Fund. A long-time educator, he served as a teacher and school administrator in Pakistan and became a United Nations Special Adviser on Global Education in 2012. In addition to Malala, he has two sons Atal and Khushal. Some fun facts about Ziauddin include: He enjoys cooking breakfast for the family almost every morning before the kids go to school, and Titanic is his favorite film.

For Rookie’s Ask a Grown series, Ziauddin offers advice for following your passions, the importance of keeping your personal archives, and how to deal with being unpopular. Listen to his advice below!

Want sound advice from a grown person? Email your questions—along with your name/nickname, age, and location—to [email protected]. ♦