By Max Fajardo Martinez
fajac01@broward.edu
Dr. Cheryl Ann Henry was Born in Trinidad into a teaching family. She is a remarkable full-time professor and program manager for computer information technology at the Broward College School of Computer Science. In addition, she is a Management Consultant with expertise in information technology (IT) where she solves organizational and business problems.
Dr. Henry always had a calling towards teaching: she began her teaching journey in primary school (from age 11), teaching first grade students Mathematics and English. She tutored her classmates in mathematics during high school, and basic programming during college. In 2000, she began teaching computer literacy at her alma mater Miami Dade College as an Adjunct Faculty member and later started her journey at the Central Campus of Broward College (BC) in 2013. She took a hiatus from teaching at BC from 2017-2023 and returned as a faculty member in 2025, and she currently teaches courses in the Computer Science-Industrial Department in the S.T.E.M. Pathway.
When asked about why she chose to teach, she explains that teaching felt natural to her, particularly teaching about any technology related subject matter, which she is very passionate about.
Dr. Henry’s educational career did not come without challenges. She is open about her struggles regarding her Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and uses her experiences to better understand students who face similar challenges. She also explains that for her, the toughest part of her educational career was getting a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Management with a specialization in Information Systems, given all the challenges associated with ADHD symptoms.
But to Dr. Henry, the challenges she faced helped her become a better teacher, as she better understands what students with learning disabilities go through when trying to complete their work. She explains that her experiences made her better equipped to help those students succeed not just in her class, but later in life. She often meets students who remind her of herself, motivating those students to reach their full potential despite the challenges they face every day.
Dr. Henry’s classroom is structured in a manner that encourages students to do their best and offers support to students who struggle with learning disabilities. She’ll crack jokes, listen to students’ stories, and lend them an ear when their Excel worksheet keeps crashing. As a teacher, she has efficiently taught students how to utilize Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to the highest productivity, giving students a remarkable understanding of Windows Operating System in the interim. This skill set also translates easily to a multitude of job fields, allowing students access to opportunities through their new-found technological skill set.
On an average day, Dr. Henry keeps her schedule packed with replying to emails, teaching, and consultations with business clients. Her favorite part of teaching and consulting comes from “AHA!” moments, when students/clients finally “connect with technology,” overcoming the
problems they’ve been dealing with. She is passionate about technology, teaching or consulting, and spends her free time excitedly researching the latest technological developments and trends. Furthermore, she enjoys sharing her new-found discoveries with others, whether it be artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, the internet of things (IoT), edge computing, or system security (to include information, data, and cyber security). This passion for learning extends beyond her technological expertise—her hobbies include writing, surfing the internet, and table tennis.
To Dr. Henry, the reason she chose to teach at Broward College lies within the student culture. “The students at Broward College, you know, they are like gold to me,” she explains, adding that “in class I can feel the unique energy they bring.” She adores the culture of BC, because it is lively and energetic, as well as the experience gained from interacting with a diverse set of students from semester to semester.
When asked about what her greatest achievement is, Dr. Henry explains that getting to teach her parents how to use technology is what she considers her proudest moment and greatest achievement. “I got to teach the people who brought me to the world and groomed me to success,” she notes, feeling grateful she got to give back to them through one of her biggest passions. Beyond that, her second greatest achievement is gaining her PhD “against all odds,” she notes.
One piece of advice Dr. Henry shared is for students to keep an open mind and to be willing to learn from any mistakes made without shame. She advises students to allow themselves to try new things without the fear of failing, and to feel comfortable with learning how to figure things out through trial and error. She views failure as “a stepping stone to success,” and encourages students to keep moving forward with their work despite their mistakes because, as she stated, “there are many valuable lessons to learn from mistakes.”