A lot of girls think they have to choose between being the smart geeky type or the beautiful bimbo.

I want girls to feel the confidence you get from being smart. They get so many messages that tell them the most important thing is to be beautiful.

If you're beautiful, you're led to believe that you can't also be smart.

I didn't think that college math was for me. I didn't think I'd be able to hack it. And that perception of math not being for girls, not being for girls who see themselves as socially well adjusted has got to change.

My message is: You don't have to give up being popular, fun, or fashionable in order to be smart; they can go hand and hand. Doing math is a great way to exercise your brain; being smart is going to make you more powerful in life.

I've done a lot of surveys and interacted with a lot of students, and I was shocked to see that at 12 years old, girls are already talking about dumbing themselves down.