Daily Dose of Pras

About

I’m a dreamer. An over-analyzer. I’m the type of guy who can paint a picture with words. I’ve had a personal blog for 5 years now, but realized somewhere along the way that writing was more than just a way to recount the saga of my life, it was a way to share the things that I was passionate about, it was a medium that I wanted to take more seriously. Which is why I created DailyDoseofPras.com.

I’ve always been passionate about building technology - from an obsession with lego, to a fondness for Corvettes, to the magical moment when I watched the saucer separation on an episode of Star Trek: TNG and then built an Enterprise out of lego. In highschool I was a jack of many trades - music, debate, computer science, mock trial, theater, and strangely even math club. In 2002 I moved to California to study at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley.  I started out pursuing i-banking, but began working for the student government, eventually joining the President’s senior staff, which planted dreams of law school and politics in my head.

Then I found myself drawn towards technology - towards the idea of building something. I joined TiE - an international organization that brings together South Asian Entrepreneurs and orignally founded in Silicon Valley - and eventually became President of the first college chapter. At some point I started to rediscover my South Asian roots, and found myself getting involved in the South Asian community. I was elected Marketing Director for the 2nd biggest club at Berkeley - Indus - and spent a year planning events big and small - my greatest achievement our massive culture show which over 3000 attended and 200 participants. I discovered that across all these activities - government, technology, and community - the thing I was most passionate about was marketing.

And then found my way to Microsoft, in a role that has enabled me to combine the 3 currents that have flowed through my entire life: Public Service, Technology, & Marketing. Now I manage Student Lifestyle Marketing for Microsoft Education. My team provides the technology that enables organizations as large as the Department of Education and as small as Plano West Senior High to improve the education of our children.  I have the best role of all - my job is to showcase our new technologies to students - to win their hearts & minds.  I manage the Microsoft Student Partners Program, where I manage our network of campus reps around the US, and also manage marketing software that gets sold through campus bookstores. Because students are early adopters of technology, this role gives me the opportunity to innovate new marketing strategies that employ digital marketing, peer marketing, and social media.I’m tremendously passionate about this space, so don’t be surprised if you see stories, pictures, and videos showcasing what we’re doing.

Today, I’m the Student Lifestyle Marketing Manager at Microsoft, the Vice President of NetIP, a Seattle non-profit, and an avid blogger here and on Microsoft.com. Come find me.

-Pras