4 Questions with Yaneke Henry
Senior Manager, System Performance, at Verizon
Yaneke Henry (she/her) is a Senior Manager of System Performance at Verizon from San Antonio, Texas.
1. Where’s your hometown?
Bois Content, St. Catherine, Jamaica.
2. How did you get into STEM?
Growing up, my Uncle John would repair old electronic equipment around the yard, so naturally, when it came time to choose a trade at Old Harbor High School I selected Electrical. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a Doctor or an Engineer, so I studied Integrated Science and Physics as my science options, along with Electrical and Technical Drawing as my trades.
When I graduated high school, I enrolled in Pre- Engineering at the University of Technology, Jamaica. That same year, I received a full academic scholarship through the Cooperative Association of States Scholarship (CASS) program to study Telecommunications Engineering in St. Louis Missouri, and my engineering path was chosen!
3. What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you get through it?
I have faced numerous challenges throughout my life. However, one challenge that I constantly struggle with is being confident in my own abilities.
While I’ve made great strides over the years in that regard, I continuously have to work on being confident and try to surround myself with other successful women who exude confidence. Since becoming a leader, I’ve used bad experiences as opportunities to channel my fears and practice being brave and confident; I use it as motivation to show up more confident for the next opportunity.
The mirror has become my best friend. Whenever I talk to the person looking back at me, I am reminded that I am still that little girl from rural Jamaica who defied all the odds of being successful past high school. I am reminded that my humble beginnings were opportunities; working in the mountains with my grandmother in the blazing hot sun picking the coffee beans, coco, mangoes, and whatever else we could sell to make a profit were experiences that created the resilience I needed to overcome the challenges I face today.
Today, I can confidently say that I belong! I am a work in progress, and I take solace in the fact that Rome wasn’t built in a day. When I wake up, I am reminded that God’s mercy is new every morning.
4. What’s something you’ve done that you are immensely proud of?
I was raised by my paternal grandmother since the tender age of 9 months. She poured everything of the little she had in me. I would be remiss if I didn’t say how immensely proud I am that I didn’t disappoint her. Despite the fact that she went to heaven during my first year of college, I am happy she is resting knowing that I was well on my way.
Professionally, I am proud of the contributions I have made as an engineer to Verizon. As I drive around the city of Houston, I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I see the small cell network that I designed is successfully implemented and that the technology behind it is changing lives everyday.
