Engineer, Honda Manufacturing, Lincoln, Ala.

BA Music/English, MA Music, MS Manufacturing Systems, Jacksonville State University

Aurelia Gooden is a native of Michigan and a “Jill” of all trades. Besides working as an engineer at Honda Manufacturing, she is also currently pursuing a doctorate in psychology and she is a studied musician. She originally earned a master’s in music, but was steered into the sciences and manufacturing as a result of the economic downturn. At Honda, she has worked in multiple areas of the plant, from frame assembly to new model development. She has also been very active in the plant’s continuous improvement program, known as NH Circle. In this program, she has worked on a team as the advisor in order to support new plant solutions. Aurelia doesn’t have much spare time, as she competes in pageants and performs in her community in addition to going to school and working. She is currently Miss Great Lake State American Dream 2018 and Miss Michigan American Dream 2017. She enjoys participating in these kinds of activities because it greatly contrasts her technical abilities.