As a girl who watched her grandmother bake and decorate cakes from the time she was old enough to stand on a stool, Adi McConnell ’27 grew up immersed in a creative environment. Baking, decorating, sewing, crocheting, jewelry-making and painting are just a few of the pastimes McConnell’s mother and grandmother would engage in, piquing McConnell’s interest and curiosity.
It was no surprise, therefore, that McConnell would develop a love for all things craft-related. Whether it be cross-stitching, embroidery, wood-working or crocheting, McConnell has always used crafting to express herself artistically. When she came to Le Moyne as a software applications and systems development major with a goal of becoming a video game developer, McConnell knew she’d have to find an outlet for her creativity.
It was this urge to create that attracted her to Le Moyne’s Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity. After a tour of the Center with Doug Hill, the Center’s head of the Maker Space, she immediately knew that she had found her place on campus, saying, “When I took the tour with Doug … I thought, ‘I’m going to be here all the time. This is my space. I love this place. I could see myself thriving here.’”
When Hill mentioned that the Center was hiring students for work-study positions, McConnell returned the very next day to learn more and express her interest. The rest, as they say, is history.
As part of her duties as a work study student at the Keenan Center, McConnell is required to complete a personal growth project, which is anything that the work study student wants to do as long as it is outside of their comfort zone. For her project, McConnell stepped into the realm of entrepreneurship to launch a business, tentatively titled Creations by Adi, to sell crocheted hats, headbands, pouches, scrunchies and more.
With the guidance of Isaac and Stephanie Budmen, the Keenan Center’s designer of educational programming and mentorship and designer of educational content and programming, respectively, McConnell has begun to figure out the logistics of her company such as pricing items, designing her logo, and finding a suitable online platform. She has scheduled a table at a local craft fair, created a social media page for her business, and started crocheting her products, all while balancing her work and school commitments.
“Adi exemplifies the mission of the Keenan Center,” says Isaac Budmen. “Her natural curiosity, courage in trying new things, and eagerness to collaborate embody the mission to build density of entrepreneurial, innovative and creative talent. More than that, Adi's presence inspires others. When guests meet her, they're not just struck by her talent and welcoming energy but also inspired by her example to pursue their own creative journeys. She's a true asset to our team, sparking creativity and encouraging everyone she meets.”
In addition to her personal growth project, McConnell completes other duties at the Keenan Center. “As a work study, our main purpose is to help people that come into the Keenan Center,” she explains. “For instance, we have a lot of people … who are interested in learning how to sew. As work studies, that’s our job to learn the machines and help people also learn the machines. We supervise them and make sure everyone is being safe. I was mainly hired for the fabric and sewing room … Other work studies were hired for the 3D printing lab or the entrepreneurship side. We all have our different expertise and we’re coming together to create bigger things.”
As she and the other staff all bring their diverse talents to serve the Center, McConnell has found that the people she has met have become her favorite part of the experience. She enjoys being around “not necessarily like-minded people, but people who also have this will to create something. Whether they’re doing the woodworking, whether they’re 3D printing or painting or starting a business, they want to do something. So it’s great to have people who don’t necessarily have the same mindset as you. I am not a math person or a natural science person… So to have someone there to bring that aspect to the table is amazing. So many great things come out of that.”