My role models are people who can do things; I say to myself, 'I wish I could do that.'

The youth are the catalysts for real change.

The hardest [part] is some of the misperceptions that are leveled against me as a person and against Muslim women.

Extremism is not endemic in my region, nor is anti-Western sentiment. No doubt there is discontent and distrust. That is towards more the American and some Western policies, and not toward the American people.

It's about using social media for social change: creating a community of advocates who can use their voices on behalf of the voiceless, or leverage their talents, skills, knowledge, and resources to put more children into classrooms, or pressure their elected representatives to get global education top of the agenda.

We shouldn't judge people through the prism of our own stereotypes.

We look at problems happening halfway across the world and we think, 'Well, that's their problem.' But it's not. ... When you solve somebody else's problem, you're solving a problem for yourself because our world today is so interconnected.