AALIYAH BROWN, Process Engineer at Rockwell Automation With a mission `to improve the quality of life by making the world more productive and sustainable,’ Rockwell Automation is committed to enabling the next generation of smart manufacturing. It is a global leader in industrial automation. Rockwell is also committed to the next generation of engineers, and Aaliyah Brown has found a home as a Process Engineer at the global company. Aaliyah's love for engineering led her to Cleveland State University, where she received a bachelor of science in Electronic Engineering Technology. An engineer by profession, she is passionate about her job. Still, her true passion lies in expanding the future of women working in technical fields. She recently spoke with Phenomenal Woman about the work she is doing and her plans to increase the number of women and minorities pursuing careers in engineering studies. 12 ▒ JULY - AUGUST 2020
Born and raised in Cleveland, Aaliyah was enrolled in Gifted and Talented programs in elementary and middle school, before entering MC2 Stem High School, specializing in engineering. While these programs inspired her to pursue studies in technology, she stressed that the biggest impact was made through the Aspire Program at Hathaway Brown. This was a summer program that aimed to give middle school aged girls the tools needed to succeed in those grades at a private school. Here, she was introduced to engineering, and to one of her best friends of more than 10 years. Statistics show that science and engineering jobs have lower levels of unemployment and higher levels of wages. The vast amount of opportunities brought by engineering attracted Aaliyah to pursue it as a career. She said, “I really liked the idea of potentially having influence over multiple things. What made me stick with it as I learned more was my passion to improve the world around us.”