As the go-to makeup brand for ladies who want to look fabulous and trendy without breaking the bank, NYX Cosmetics has grown to become a major cosmetic powerhouse, with over 10,000 beauty supply stores in the U.S. and a presence in over 40 international markets. We caught up with its founder, CEO and creative director, Toni Ko, who started the brand in her mid-20s in 1999 with the strong belief that looking fabulous means never compromising affordability.

Believe it or not, Jennifer 8. Lee did not grow up dreaming of becoming a journalist. Instead, she aspired to be what few little girls dream of—an investment banker. As a 13-year-old, before Wall Street’s heyday, she stumbled upon a children’s guide to investment banking. The book painted a wonderful picture of how investment bankers help build a better world.

At age 23, most of us have just graduated from college. We might be wrapping up a summer internship, looking into medical or business school or starting a full-time job. When Evan Low turned 23, he was winning a City Council member election in Campbell, CA in the heart of Silicon Valley. Fast forward three years to 2009, and he had become the youngest Asian American and openly gay mayor in the entire nation.

On an early summer morning in Manhattan, Eva Chen walks into the W Hotel. Tall and slender, with barely noticeable makeup and a short, minimalist hairdo, she looks exactly how you would picture a Teen Vogue editor to be— effortlessly chic, with an astute attentiveness.

When acclaimed Korean American author Chang Rae Lee paid a visit to my western literature class back in high school, I was unfortunately ignorant of his recognition in the literary world. However, the impression that he left was immediate. Although soft-spoken in the discussion we had about J.D. Salinger’s novel Franny and Zooey and cultural assumptions in society, his words held a keen insight and profundity that naturally commanded everyone’s attention.

I am hapa. With an Asian American father and a Caucasian mother, I am evenly split between two worlds. Rather than a fixed 50/50 percentage, I feel like I’m on a spectrum, constantly shifting back and forth between cultural extremes. The shift isn’t always smooth, either—sometimes my two halves go hand in hand, but just as often, they conflict.

My identity crisis starts with being a sixth-generation Chinese and third-generation Korean American. This may sound unique to the general population, but it is actually pretty common in the beautiful state of Hawaii, where I grew up. My paternal great-great grandfather left southern China with his brother to pursue the California gold rush in the late 19th century, but their boat made a stop among a certain island archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Success comes in many shapes and forms. For Hannah Song, the first female CEO of the international non-governmental organization Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), success stems from how her work furthers the progress toward her cause. Before joining LiNK six years ago, Song worked in the corporate advertising field.

Fans of TV talent shows such as “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing With The Stars” know that those hoofing it up on stage only constitute half the equation. Choreographers are increasingly—and deservingly—sharing the spotlight with performers, allowing a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into their art and method.

Taiwanese American Janet Hsieh has a job most girls would die for—she travels the world, visiting exotic locales and trying fine foods. As the host of Discovery Travel and Living’s Fun Taiwan, which is broadcast to 25 countries throughout Asia, Hsieh introduces audiences to the island’s attractions—both of the tourist and off-path variety—and wins them over with her charming personality and daring attitude.

Who would have thought that being bored out of your mind would be the best thing that ever happened to you? While looking for something to do one day, singer-songwriter Zee Avi picked up a guitar and taught herself how to play. At the time, Avi was a college dropout living at home with her parents in Malaysia. Today, she is a rising musical star living her dreams in Brooklyn, New York.

There’s no doubt that Korean pop culture (affectionately called K-pop) has become an international phenomenon. It’s gaining popularity in American pop culture, with enthusiastic fans such as Perez Hilton. For Asian American teens, the luring quality of K-pop runs a little deeper. As Facebook and Twitter feeds run rampant with the latest buzz on SNSD, Big Bang or 2PM, Korean music and all the culture that accompanies it has traveled at lightning speed across the Pacific to influence both Korean and non-Korean American teens alike.

Traditionally, Asians are brought up to respect all forms of authority, be silent unless called upon and above all, always have a calm and courteous demeanor in public. As a child, Lela Lee, the creator of Angry Little Girls was told to brush things off and smile instead of standing up for herself. When she encountered hostility at school, her mother answered: “Just be nice to them, it’s a matter of you assimilating.”

Dear Mochi readers,

If I had to narrow down the one thing in my life that influenced me the most, it would be my five summers of nerd camp. Between the ages of 12 to 17, my parents would ship me off across the Pacific (with a lovely, puke-green, airline-sanctioned “Unaccompanied Minor” button on my chest) to attend the Center for Talented Youth, better known as CTY.

On long, tedious family vacations, some people get through an entire booklist of vacation reading. Others stay in the hotel rooms, ordering room service and playing video games. When Jon Chu got bored on a trip, he asked his four siblings to act out a scene for him to film. “We’d pretend to be robbing a bank, or go on a Jurassic Park adventure,” he recalled. Some time later, the preteen hassled his father until he bought him an electronic mixer to edit the films with.