Claudia Morales earned a bachelor's degree in industrial and systems engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico and a master's degree in industrial engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Over the past 28 years, she has worked in various roles at Bell Textron Inc. Her accomplishments include leading requirements and testing of quality systems during the company's Business Systems Modernization project, developing computer applications, and solving system issues that prevent inspectors and factory workers from doing their job. However, in a recent interview, Claudia said that her proudest accomplishment is balancing work and family life.
A quality manager at Bell describes her as "a living example of the company's values," which include "thrilling customers, acting swiftly and decisively, finding a better way, and lifting each other."
Claudia is one of the most dedicated members of the Bell Education Outreach Committee. She has promoted science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) initiatives for middle and high school students for years. In addition, she has helped rally volunteers for nearly every Bell education and STEM event.
"Even more significant is the fact that Claudia leads by example in her countless hours of volunteering at nearly all of these events," said a senior technical fellow at Bell Engineering.
Over the past five years, Claudia has led the STEM+M Planning for Bell Day, helped mentor students for the company's Vertical Robotics Competition, and coordinated school camps and tours throughout the year. In addition, she put together a day called Re-Connect, where Bell employee resource groups came together to showcase what they do. During this event, the Bell Education Outreach group signed up over 100 employees interested in giving their time and talents to promote STEM at local schools.
Claudia is married to Dr. Gilbert Morales. The couple has four children: Giselle, a speech pathologist at an elementary school; Melissa, a pediatric cancer center nurse; Anthony, a MET engineer at Oklahoma State University; and Oscar, a Purdue Boilermaker majoring in mechanical engineering. A physics and engineering high school teacher recently recognized the many hours the Morales family worked with students for FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) events.
In one school, Claudia helps apply for grants for the FIRST Robotics Team. She encourages students to volunteer to assist with Bell's annual drone competition and helps find judges and volunteers. She also helps coordinate meals when the team travels for matches. In addition, Morales and her husband find ways to take care of the financial aspects of the group without seeking reimbursement."Sometimes children need to see that many years ago, I was just like them, playing tag and making mud pies," Claudia said in a recent interview. "They need to see that working hard, setting ambitious goals, and never losing sight of education can truly change your life. Being with students who are eager to learn energizes me. I had great mentors during my K-12 years who inspired me and motivated me to pursue a career in STEM," she said.
The mentors who inspired Claudia included dance instructors, sports coaches, teachers, and family members. She grew up in a modest house with a small library with books stacked from floor to ceiling. Her childhood toys ranged from Lego sets to Barbie dolls, microscopes, and electronic kits. She developed a passion for math and science in elementary school.
"Looking back, I was born an IE (industrial engineer)," Claudia said. "I was always looking for ways to make things easier and more efficient and getting everything and everyone organized."
Her parents have different educational backgrounds, but they believed in the value of hard work, education, and paying it forward. After completing 6th grade, Claudia's father dropped out of school to earn a living by selling goods through his grocery store. On the other hand, her mother managed to leave her hometown to pursue a college education.
"As the previous principal of Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School, and now the head of Nolan Catholic High School, I have had the honor of supporting Claudia's ideas, passion, and dedication in establishing long-term, sustainable programs in our schools," writes Leah Rios.
"Claudia has developed and implemented basic engineering concepts into complex and engaging worlds of collaborative experiences for students of all different backgrounds and ages. Offering training opportunities and coaching for the adult leaders has been the key to reaching more students while also igniting creativity and encouraging a sense of community as the core of both the elementary, middle, and high school programs she has implemented. She has established these programs that have grown students individually, not only in the FIRST Lego League for younger grades and what has now become our state-of-the-art high school engineering and robotics programs, but she has connected and offered support for our teachers with in-class instruction for our general education classrooms as well."
