My family was one of the few South Asian families in my community in Illinois. Growing up in the '80s, I remember going to the K-Mart with my mom, when she was wearing her sari, and she'd get made fun of. People would ask my mother, 'Were you born with that dot on your head?'

We need policymakers to keep an eye on gender and write policies that are explicitly designed to include underserved populations like girls in computer science courses.

I refuse to see losing as a negative. Obama lost in '83 when he ran against Bobby Rush. Hillary lost in '08. Even Lincoln lost the first election. It's a useful learning experience.

There's no better way of learning from your experiences than having an open and honest conversation with yourself about why you fell short.

New startups embody the creativity, the innovation of young people, and for me, it was and is a very worthwhile experience to interact with them.

It certainly made a film writing career for me.

Even in film, books, and music, there's always action - there's always rock and roll. Young people appreciate that kind of experience.

I love hip-hop; I love Sleigh Bells. I also love classical music and musical theater.