I used to do a lot of interviews, but it has been a while. Since the SocaMom Summit, I have had a lot of people asking me, “how’d you do that?” Sometimes they want to know what software I used, but most of the time, it is they want to know HOW – beyond my choice of streaming platform (affiliate link).

I was excited to have the opportunity to share where my love of tech began with Women of Silicon Valley on their social media platforms – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It didn’t begin with a computer science teacher or mentor, but with my mom. That’s why it made it so special to share my story on Mother’s Day weekend.

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. 

Quote from the Women of Silicon Valley article.

My mother used technology in her business from the beginning and was determined to have her office go paperless, even if the technology available had yet to catch up to her ideas. She was obsessed with networking and making sure that patient records were not just available in the huge filing cabinets that lined the walls of her office, but also on each screen as she moved from patient room to patient room.

I grew up thinking that there was always a smarter and faster way to do things if you used technology. I wanted to automate everything I did. Everything.

I’m known for a lot of things, but not usually my tech talents. But when I created the SocaMom Summit, a lot of people wondered how was I able to do it so fast, and make it look so good. I think there are three reasons.

Read about the indomitable Eva Greene Wilson (@SocaMomDC), featured in our #CaribbeanTechies series! "I got into STEM because my Trinidadian mother was an early adopter of technology for her business…" https://t.co/78pEZc60Tl#ILookLikeAnEngineer

— Women of Silicon Valley (@WomenOfSV) May 9, 2020

1. I am a technical person, and a creative person. Those don’t always go together, but for me, they do. I can write a book, and I can write a program. I can illustrate a book cover, and I can design an app prototype. When it was time to get the SocaMom Summit. done, I had to use both my creative and technical skills.
2. I readily accept help and advice from trusted friends and family. I have people around me that BELIEVE that I can do it all, but who also advise me that I don’t have to. My husband helped me find the best combination of tools to get the website set up, and my friends helped me with finding streaming platforms as well as logistics.
3. I don’t like being told, “no.” I had spent time and good money planning the SocaMom Summit. It was to be an in-person conference for US. Then here comes life and COVID-19. As you will read in my piece on Women of Silicon Valley, I don’t like being told what’s impossible. In my mind, with God, a support system, and technology – nothing is impossible.

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“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. It was met with high praise, but when the executive director came to meet me, he said, “I had no idea you were a Black woman.” Shortly after that, I was told there’d be no chance of me advancing beyond administrative assistant in that company — ever. It was quite a blow. I had been coding in my free time, making websites for personal projects, so eventually, I left that job and decided I’d use my coding skills to be an entrepreneur and 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 SocaMom.com, a community for families of the Caribbean diaspora.” ~ Eva Greene Wilson, J.D.(she/her) #CaribbeanTechies #ILookLikeAnEngineer #femalefounders

A post shared by Women of Silicon Valley (@womenofsiliconvalley) on May 9, 2020 at 9:06am PDT

Check out my feature on Women of Silicon Valley on Medium, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. I talk about single motherhood, being told no, and what shaped me into who I am as a Caribbean woman in tech.

The SocaMom Summit Summer edition is fast approaching. The call for speakers has ended, but registration is open! I look forward to providing another amazing experience.