Carolyn Lam
Software Engineer
About Me
I’m a front-end focused software engineer based in Salem, MA with 8+ years of experience building delightful, intuitive products. I love crafting user experiences that feel clear, thoughtful, and joyful to use. While front-end is my specialty, I enjoy working across the stack — connecting the layers, solving puzzles, and taking on new challenges.
In my downtime, I write songs. They’re like personal journal entries set to melody — sometimes messy, always healing. Lately, I’ve been tapping into my travel itch: I took my first international trip to Japan earlier this year (and will definitely be back!). I also did a cross-country road trip all over the U.S., visiting family and camping along the way.
I’m one of six kids, raised by the most inspiring mother I know. We’re all spread out now, but somehow, we always find our way back to each other.
Software Engineer Journey
Scope3
At Scope3, I joined as a Senior Full Stack Engineer on the Customer Experience team, helping reshape how we deliver pricing for climate-conscious ad tech. I led both frontend and backend work to launch a new Rate Card system — introducing time-based pricing, multi-dimensional tier editors, and syncing contract lifecycles with HubSpot.
Some of my favorite work included designing dynamic country-code selectors for region-specific CPMs and writing a comprehensive RFC that proposed a new admin approval workflow. I contributed across key areas of the pricing platform and grew meaningfully as a full-stack engineer working in a large TypeScript monorepo.
I also got to partner closely with the commercial team and developed a new lens for how sales operates. It was deeply rewarding to build features knowing they made someone else’s day smoother.
Brex
As a Front-End Engineer at Brex, I worked on impactful, customer-facing features like Accounting Fields, Custom Rules, and the Accounting Journal. I collaborated closely with designers, PMs, and backend engineers — and also jumped into projects beyond my core scope, including Budgeting and Integrations.
One highlight was leading the frontend for the Custom Field Management project, where I helped enhance the creation flow to make it more flexible and intuitive. Our stack included React, TypeScript, GraphQL, Apollo Client, and Storybook.
Brex was the kind of place where smart, kind people brought their best — and it pushed me to grow in all the right ways.
HubSpot
At HubSpot, I was part of the Machine Learning Front-End team, using React, TypeScript, and GraphQL to build features for Conversation Intelligence — helping users uncover deeper insights from sales and customer service calls. I created tools like the Timestamp plugin and Tracked Terms feature, which made workflows smoother and turned long transcripts into something far more actionable.
One of the highlights was getting to sit in on customer calls with the PM. It was my first real window into how people actually use what we build — hearing their pain points, feedback, and what actually matters to them. It made everything feel more connected, and gave me a stronger sense of purpose in my work.
Tin Roof
At Tin Roof, I worked on full-stack projects for clients like Cox and Warner Media. Each one introduced me to a new mix of technologies — GraphQL, Docker, MariaDB, Puppeteer — and pushed me to keep learning on the fly. I loved the fast pace and got to build everything from internal tools to a system health dashboard that pulled in web data and visualized it all in one centralized view.
The Home Depot
At The Home Depot, I led the migration of an internal legacy Angular application into a modernized version. While my focus was on the front end, I also collaborated on backend logic, helped design APIs, and wrote unit tests in Java.
One of my most memorable moments was drawing on my self-taught React skills to build a brand-new internal file app from scratch. It was so fun to use a new library in a real world setting.
Special Education Experience
Before pivoting to tech, I worked in special education for over four years. My roles spanned academic support for children with moderate to severe autism, helping them achieve a better quality of life. I still remember one non-verbal student singing the ABCs to me and calling me “mama” — a moment I’ll never forget. I helped them learn to rollerblade, watched them walk on stilts and jump with pogo sticks (something I’ve never been able to do!), and saw them try their best to sing along to music.
Later, I moved into babysitting young children with autism and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and eventually worked as a resource specialist at an elementary school, supporting children with learning challenges.
Diverse Work Experiences
In my teens and early twenties, I tried everything. I waited tables at a retirement home, rang up pizzas at a cashier counter, cleaned medical guide catheters, assembled Dunkin’ Donuts coffee pods, crafted sandwiches, taught English to native Chinese speakers, and even attempted to sell vacuums door-to-door (spoiler: not my calling). I somehow always ended up cleaning people’s homes — completely unpaid.
I once became Employee of the Month as a food runner at a fine dining restaurant — in my very first month. I used the reward to treat myself and a friend to my first fancy meal. It was a humbling experience.
Every odd job added a little more grit, empathy, and heart to the way I work today.