Lamarr Henry: From Underfunded Schools to Security Engineer

Lamarr Henry’s journey is a powerful testament to overcoming adversity. Growing up in an underfunded school district, he faced limited resources but ultimately forged a successful path into the tech industry, becoming a Senior Security Engineer at Figma. Now, he’s committed to helping others achieve similar success.

Discovering a Passion for Tech

Henry’s realization of the impact of limited resources came during his sophomore year of high school when he exhausted the available math classes. While initially considering traditional career paths like law or medicine, his perspective shifted during his first year at The Ohio State University. An introductory computer science course sparked a passion he hadn’t anticipated.

“I was trying coding, computer science… Then the more and more I did it, I was like, ‘Oh, this is really fun. This is what I should have been doing the whole time,’” Henry shared with AFROTECH™. He acknowledged the challenge of catching up, wishing he had started earlier, but found the experience rewarding.

Security and Hacking Through Sudoku

Henry earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His specialization lies in security and software engineering. He credits a college professor who introduced him to security and hacking concepts using Sudoku puzzles as a unique teaching tool. Henry recalled how the professor demonstrated reverse engineering to bypass game trial limitations, which inspired him to pursue a career in security.

Currently, Henry works at Figma, where he combines his expertise in security and software engineering. His role involves building protective measures for the company, safeguarding internal data and users from potential compromises. He describes his work as creating “protections to make hacking Figma harder.”

Sharing Knowledge and Demystifying Tech

Beyond his professional role, Henry also serves as an adjunct lecturer at The Ohio State University, though he hasn’t taught in the past two semesters. He will be a speaker at the upcoming 2025 AFROTECH™ Conference in Houston, TX, from October 27-31. Henry’s passion for teaching stems from his desire to make complex fields accessible. “I try to understand something that people think is complicated and then make it way more accessible, way easier to understand,” he explained.

He believes many difficult industries are unnecessarily complex, often using jargon to appear more knowledgeable. Henry’s mission is to demystify these fields, making them more approachable for aspiring professionals. He will also be recruiting for Figma at the conference, offering opportunities to those looking to enter the tech industry.