Supply Chain Rotational Analyst Miranda Morales Breaks Barriers and Embraces Opportunities – and She’s Just Getting Started

Meet Supply Chain Rotational Analyst Miranda Morales, who is participating in McCormick’s three-year Rotational Program to gain hands-on experience at the start of her engineering career.

Miranda Morales lives by the mantra that tomorrow is never promised, so you should never let today’s opportunities pass you by.

At 23, she has embraced the opportunities that have come her way, especially those that have made her uncomfortable.

“It’s good to be uncomfortable,” she said. “Being uncomfortable helps you learn how to adapt to change. When you are confident in adapting to change, you can really do anything you want.”

Right now, she is doing exactly what she wants – exploring potential engineering career paths while gaining hands-on experience in McCormick’s Rotational Program, which is designed to expose people early in their careers to different functional areas in McCormick’s Supply Chain Operations.

During the Rotational Program, she will spend one year in three different McCormick facilities located across North America (three years total), gaining insights into different aspects of the business. She is currently working in the Continuous Improvement Department at McCormick’s FONA plant outside of Chicago.

As her first job after college, Miranda feels fortunate to be at McCormick.

“The company culture is wonderful. Everyone has been so welcoming and so helpful. I’m young and inexperienced, but people listen to me, ask how I’m doing, and encourage me to ask questions.”

Succeeding as Woman in Engineering

She joined the Rotational Program after earning her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University, a program that has historically been dominated by men.

“My dad is an engineer, and he always told me I could be anything I wanted to be. But it’s not easy being a woman in engineering. It requires you to have confidence in your voice and your abilities. I’ve always excelled at math and chemistry, but I’m also a strong woman, just like my mother.”

Miranda’s mother passed away from cancer when she was 14.

“Seeing what she went through when she was sick – the chemo, surgeries, and hospital stays – made me want to study and learn as much as I could so that maybe one day I could impact people’s lives the way the people who helped my mom impacted her life.”

Family and Culture

Miranda’s grandparents immigrated to the United States from Mexico and Colombia. While her father was born in the United States, he was raised in Mexico, moving back to the U.S. when he was 19.

“I still live at home with my dad. It’s nice because we have dinner together every night after I get home from work. He along with my sister, stepmom, and other family members are my biggest champions.”

She is bilingual, which helps her make connections at the FONA plant.

“Many people that work on the plant floor are Hispanic. Because I speak the same language, I am able to talk to them about what they do and who they are. I learn a lot from them, which gives me a better understanding of all the roles in McCormick.”

Looking Ahead

Miranda doesn’t know where she is headed next when her year at FONA is over, and that’s okay with her. She is just looking forward to spreading her wings and being on her own.

“I know I can always go back home, but if I don’t leave, I won’t know anything else. I won’t grow.”

For Miranda, the future is wide open – and extremely bright.

“My dad always told me that the worst thing you could do is to do nothing. His ongoing advice and the experience of losing my mom pushes me to take every opportunity. My goal is to be better today than I was yesterday.”

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