From Code to Community: Ford Engineer Shanikia Little Builds Systems That Empower Families and Communities

By: Jennifer Blackledge , Ford Employer Brand

As a full-stack software engineer, Shanikia Little trains developers to write clean, secure software code and she creates web applications that help teams across the company do their jobs more efficiently. She also excels at using those same skills to make life better for people in her community and beyond.

“During COVID, I was one of the people picking up food for neighbors, and I noticed firsthand how complex large-scale food distribution could be,” says Shanikia. “The demand was high, but time and efficiency were limited.” Fast forward a few years, and Shanikia was volunteering to be part of a virtual think tank put together by the Ford Volunteer Corps to help Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. That personal experience and her engineering skills gave her valuable insight.

“I assisted in re-engineering some of the logistics behind their in-warehouse food packing setup for volunteer groups, aiming to maximize the number of boxes packed within each half-day shift. Combined with a new portable conveyor-belt system, these optimizations significantly improved efficiency and volunteer satisfaction,” she says. With those updates, Gleaners was able to double its impact and can now serve 200 people per hour and distribute more than 14,000 meal kits per month.

Engineering Kindness: Ford Volunteer Boosts Food Bank Efficiency

She still collaborates with Gleaners, but her community efforts don’t stop there. “As a Ford Volunteer Corps Regional Chair, I help lead volunteer engagement across multiple community initiatives. I’m also active in the employee resource groups Women of Ford, Ford NextGen, and the Ford African Ancestry Network, where I mentor and collaborate with colleagues across organizations.”

Additionally, she extends her Ford expertise and passion for mentoring to local educational efforts as a STEM outreach liaison. Through the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), she teaches the Ford Electric Vehicle Design Challenge Robotics Course and the Ford Mobile App Design Challenge UI Course. These classes help K-12 students gain hands-on experience connecting coding, design, and engineering to real-world mobility problem-solving.

Shanikia also curates and hosts the Cyber Security Heroes Career Talk at Wayne State University, connecting students with Ford cybersecurity professionals who share insights into protecting vehicles, data, and global systems.

“I’m grateful to the employee resource groups at Ford for all their knowledge and support,” she says. “So many of the volunteers who help mentor and coach students in these programs come directly from these groups. It truly showcases how Ford’s employee networks strengthen our community outreach and inspire the next generation of innovators.”

She’s the mother of two children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD and saw a need for inclusive STEM programs that support homeschoolers like her family. “When traditional programs couldn’t meet their needs, I built a new path,” she says, and founded a learning center.

The learning center is a space for children to explore coding, robotics, AI and algorithm design. In addition to advanced STEM education, it gives homeschooled children a connection to competitions like FIRST LEGO League and a social outlet, too.

She even brings a sense of purpose to her leisure activities. “When I’m not coding or teaching, I’m moving — literally!” In true Shanikia style, though, she’s not just exercising by herself; she’s helping others at the same time. “I’m a licensed Zumba, STRONG Nation, and CIRCL Mobility fitness instructor, with more certifications on the way. Teaching fitness is another way I connect with people.” To her, it’s all part of the same mission: helping people grow stronger physically, mentally, and creatively.

A proud Detroiter, Shanikia says, “This city really shaped me. It’s where I learned to combine technical excellence with community purpose.” Her great-grandfather came to Detroit as part of the Great Migration and worked in Ford’s foundry until he retired. Her uncle also retired from Ford and her father worked at the company for a short time

Despite being a third-generation Ford employee, Shanikia almost didn’t end up here. “I didn’t initially picture myself here. When I was a student at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, I noticed a long line of students waiting to speak with the Ford recruiters at a career fair. When I asked some of the students what they were majoring in, nearly everyone said mechanical or electrical engineering, so I assumed Ford wasn’t a place for software engineers and decided not to wait in that line.”

“A few years later, I received a call from a Ford recruiter asking about my programming languages and the tools I used for development. That conversation completely changed my perception of what Ford was,” she says. “What I once saw as a traditional automaker turned out to be a digital powerhouse where software engineers play a key role in everything from manufacturing to connected-vehicle systems.

“I chose Ford because I saw an opportunity to apply my skills in software and systems design to a company that not only builds vehicles but also builds the technology behind them.”

It turned out to be the right fit for her technical skills and personal sense of purpose. “Ford’s culture encourages innovation not just for products, but for people. It’s a place where you’re empowered to apply your professional skills to create community impact. It’s been incredibly rewarding to learn just how much of Ford’s success depends on people like me: software engineers building the systems that move the world.”