Growing up in South Memphis, young Meka Egwuekwe’s passion for technology ignited when he acquired a Texas Instruments home computer, teaching himself BASIC programming. This early passion led him to East High School’s coding classes and onto a full scholarship at the esteemed Phillips Academy Andover. Furthering his academic journey, Meka had a serendipitous visit to Morehouse College, where he earned a B.S. in Computer Science, followed by a Master’s at Duke University, enriched along the way by internships at NASA and Hewlett-Packard.
With 19 years experience as a software architect, crafting solutions for global governments and Fortune 500 companies, Meka’s commitment to youth empowerment remained undeterred. A long-serving Alumni Admissions Representative for Andover, a youth director at his worship place, and founder of the Memphis Chapter of Black Girls Code, his dedication was clear.
Spotting the void in tech opportunities for Memphis’s underrepresented youth, Meka co-founded CodeCrew in 2015. This nationally-recognized non-profit has since mentored over 12,000 unique students in AI and computer science education, with many entering the tech world, transforming their earnings and prospects. Under Meka’s leadership as Executive Director, CodeCrew students have achieved notable successes, from TED-Ed Talks to winning the Tennessee Congressional App Challenge to six-figure incomes and more.
Meka lives in Memphis with his wife Pamela and their two daughters. To learn more about CodeCrew, visit www.code-crew.org. To learn more about Meka, visit www.MekaDifference.com.
