When Keyari Frye decided to decorate a pumpkin for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she knew it needed to carry meaning.

Without sharing her plans, Frye casually asked her co-worker if she would be at work that day. Hours later, Frye handed her the pink and white pumpkin.

“I just thought about you and wanted to put a smile on your face,” Frye said to her co-worker.

Her co-worker’s eyes welled up, and in that moment, the simple craft became a symbol of care and solidarity.

For the past decade, Frye has worked part-time as a library technician at El Camino College.

Her educational journey started with earning a business degree at California State University Dominguez Hills. Continuing on her educational journey, she shifted gears and came to El Camino, where she earned degrees in psychology and sociology.

Beyond her work in the library, Frye’s love for crafting has touched those around her—whether through personalized gifts for colleagues or festive campus displays, she’s brought warmth and creativity to the Distance Education and Library Resource Centers.

Crafting was a family tradition for Frye.

Her mother introduced her to the concept of making small decorations and gifts. However, after her grandfather died, Frye put her crafting supplies aside.

For three years, the shelves that once held ribbons, paints, and fabric grew dusty as her motivation slipped away.

“I put a hold on it because I just didn’t really have the motivation anymore,” Frye said. “I wasn’t feeling it at all.”

Her creativity remained on pause—until one day, her niece made a simple request.

Frye’s sister approached her with an idea for a custom t-shirt, but Frye still didn’t feel ready to dive back into crafting.

Then her three-year-old niece called from Texas with a request from her aunt.

“Auntie, I want a Hello Kitty on a pink shirt with a yellow bow,” her niece said. The innocent request was enough to pull Frye out of her creative break.

She gathered the materials, made the shirt, and sent it off. Soon after, her sister called with praise.

“You took what I asked and what she asked for, and made it into something so pretty,” Frye’s sister said.

From that moment on, her family’s requests flowed in—stickers, shirts and personalized items. Frye even made decals for her brother’s fishing lure business, which now sells the products in stores.

Back at ECC, Frye’s creative touch spread throughout the campus. Her work wasn’t just limited to family—she began creating custom T-shirts and gift baskets for co-workers, especially around Mother’s Day.

“She made me three shirts for Mother’s Day,” Charissa Penn, 58, a library media technician said. “I was really happy, because my kids are in the Army, so I don’t get to see them often. For her to do that, it really was something special.”

Though Frye is the sole member of the decorating committee, she often finds help from student workers who assist in transforming the library into a more vibrant space.

“I feel like the environment at El Camino is a little more free now,” Carla Irncon, a 17-year-old biology major and student worker said. “I don’t feel as much pressure – this is my first job, so I was kind of nervous at first, but it’s really nice to help her and see her stuff around.”

Frye continues to craft, aiming to bring a sense of joy and community through her work.

“I’m trying to make the library into something nice,” she said. “I don’t want it to feel down, I just want to make it fun and exciting, and so far, I think it’s working.”