Many KO teachers use their free time in rewarding ways to pursue hobbies outside the classroom. Upper School counselor Felicia Velez has a creative pastime: jewelry making. Since 2013, Ms. Velez has been teaching a class of her own, bringing her knowledge and experience to those who share her passion.
Before Ms. Velez took up this hobby, she had found herself looking for certain pieces of jewelry and realized she couldn’t find them. She decided to get creative and make them herself. “I learned by looking at videos online and reading a lot of books,” she said. The special ingredients behind Ms. Velez’s works are jump rings, beads, wire, and polymer clay. Her final products often include rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, and she adds that her favorite style to wear is simple silver.
Ms. Velez feels great satisfaction when she can wear a piece she made on her own. “I love making jewlery,” she said. “It’s fun. It’s my self care.”
One day, Ms. Velez was approached by one of her friends and invited to teach a jewelry-making class at Windsor Adult Education. It was a scary feat since she had no teaching experience, but she started by teaching what she knew and branched out from there. The 10-week course is advertised in a brochure that is sent to the town of Windsor. It meets once a week and is taught to 12 adults.
Prior to the first meeting, Ms. Velez sent a brochure to those who signed up. It included a picture of each piece they will be making and the necessary tools and materials. “I do the instruction,” she said. “They bring all of the pieces, and I teach them how to do it.”
Ms. Velez encourages all KO students who have an interest in jewelry-making to pursue it. She claims that all you need is a beginner set of tools, beads, wire, a book, strong hands, and a good design in your head.
