4 Questions with Eva Greene Wilson
Creator of SocaMom.com and Founder of the SocaMom® Summit
Eva Greene Wilson(she/her) is the Creator of SocaMom.com, a community for families of Caribbean descent, and the Founder of the SocaMom® Summit, the first conference of its kind to address the concerns of the Caribbean diaspora. She uses technology to create and foster community.
1. Where’s your hometown?
I was born in Washington, DC, and raised in Aiken, South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia.
2. How did you get into STEM?
My first computer was the Apple II Plus, and instead of going outside to play, I would spend afternoons making quizzes in BASIC, then demanding that my parents take them. I subscribed to Apple Magazine, keeping up with everything I could when it came to computers.
I got into STEM because my Trinidadian mother was an early adopter of technology for her business. Watching her take her office paperless at a time when it was unheard of — especially for a Black physician in the southern United States — motivated me to think of innovative thinking as the standard, not the exception.
3. What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you get through it?
I became a single mother a few years after college, so I had to let go of the idea of being an entrepreneur for a while. I had to get a “real job” with “real benefits” and ended up finding a position as an administrative assistant, which allowed me to take care of myself and my son.
When I started, I discovered that the company needed a significant technology overhaul. So I migrated their database from an antiquated DOS-based system, as well as automated several of their time-consuming tasks, which was met with high praise.
When the executive director came to meet me, he told me, “I had no idea you were a Black woman.” Shortly after that, I was told there would be no chance of me advancing beyond administrative assistant in that company — ever. It was quite a blow. I was raised believing that I could do anything, and that hard work would always be rewarded.
I had been coding in my free time, making websites for personal projects, so eventually, I left that job and decided I would use my coding skills to be an entrepreneur to support our little family. After several online ventures as a single mom, I got married to a man who also codes, and with his help, I created the SocaMom.com community.
Being a first-generation American, it was a challenge to connect to the Caribbean community. I needed that connection, and I wanted my child to have opportunities to experience Caribbean culture. I figured that if it was difficult for me, then it must be difficult for others, too; that’s why I created SocaMom.com, a community for families of the Caribbean diaspora.
4. What’s something you’ve done that you’re immensely proud of?
I homeschooled my three children and ran my company while I was a full-time law school student. I was teaching the kids science in the morning, presenting a project to my class in the afternoon, then speaking at a conference later that same day. I turned one of my projects for my copyrights class into an award-winning submission for SocaMom.com.
“I was teaching the kids science in the morning, presenting a project to my class in the afternoon, then speaking at a conference later that same day.”
I look back on all of the things I’ve been able to do, and technology and innovation have been two of the biggest factors in my success. I’m proud of that, because so many people told me I was crazy or that it would be impossible. But with technology, there is no such thing as “impossible”.
My daughter is in the eighth grade and already an avid coder. She worked with me on the website for the SocaMom Summit, a virtual conference with 50 speakers from 17 countries, 20 sessions, held completely online over two days. It was the first conference of its kind, created by and for the Caribbean Diaspora. I am proud that I’m able to share the power of STEM with my family and carry on the tradition of Caribbean women using STEM to succeed.
