Life hardships, though unbearable, shape a person’s character. They shape the dreams, goals and passions of a person. To some people, those hardships become a driving force. This is what became the case for Rigoberta Menchu Tum, the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Rigoberta Menchu Tum is a Guatemalan human rights activist who dedicated her life to working for the rights of the Mayan people in her country. She has experienced extreme adversity since she was young, including losing many members of her family to the cruelty of the Guatemalan government. She got involved in social activism very early in her life and followed her parents ' footsteps in opposing the Guatemalan government during the country 's civil war. After organizing protests and movements against the Guatemalan government in the early 1980s, she was forced into exile in Mexico for fear of losing her life. She continued working for the freedom of the Mayan people and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work. She has unceasingly sought retribution for the oppressed Mayan people and gained ground towards that goal. …show more content…
Rigoberta Menchu Tum is an impactful world changer because she helped drive the Guatemalan Civil War to its end, developed peaceful political parties in Guatemala, and took hand in the prosecution of the Guatemalan officials who committed genocide against her