100 Women Of Impact – Eva Longoria

Eva Longoria became famous as an actress, but her real mission was to be the boss—and then give opportunities to women who might never otherwise get them.

- By Raquel Reichard

Once Eva Longoria became famous for starring in the TV show Desperate Housewives, she also became overwhelmed with pleas for her charitable support. “I was getting, like, 1,000 requests a week for, you know, dolphins in Japan and AIDS in Africa and sex trafficking in Thailand,” she says. “All of that is important to fix, right? But I learned quickly, I couldn’t do everything. And I wanted to stand for something.” A mentor pushed her to define where she wanted to make the most impact, and she realized it was in helping the Latina community. She didn’t want to just highlight the barriers women like her have faced; instead, she wanted to zero in on the ways they overcame. “How do we repeat success?” she says.