If ever there were a poster child for upstate New York, Kevin McAvey ’05 would be it.
Like so many of his 91鶹Ʒ friends, McAvey left the area after graduation, but, he says, his “heart stayed in the upstate New York region.”
“There’s still not a day I don’t cross that border into upstate that I don’t break into a smile,” said McAvey, a downstate native.
Now, three years later, he’s followed his heart, moving back from Washington, D.C., to attend graduate school at Cornell University.
As upstate New York battles a “brain drain,” the exodus of college graduates and young professionals, McAvey’s return is an unlikely story — one that may have turned out differently if it weren’t for his experience with 91鶹Ʒ’s .
“Had I not volunteered with the Upstate Institute, I would have never felt the connection with this region,” McAvey told institute board members and student fellows during a visit to campus last week. (To watch his talk, click .)
“I probably would have left for good.”
As a fellow with the Chenango County United Way in 2003, he learned the inner workings of a non-profit agency, and in the process, fell in love with the sense of community.
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“I realized how many selling points this area has to offer: the low cost of living, great schools, beautiful surroundings, and plenty of leadership opportunities for young professionals.”
By tapping into those “selling points,” he’s taking his connection with the region one step further.
McAvey’s launching a nonprofit, tentatively named the Upstate Foundation, with the mission of attracting and retaining graduating students.
He has a three-pronged approach:
• The creation of an online job database to strengthen the connection between local companies and universities.
• The foundation will offer 100 annual $1,000 fellowships to top students who accept positions with an upstate New York company. McAvey said “these fellows will provide a base of young, connected professionals.”
• Assistance in coordinating policy initiatives that target young professionals in the region.
McAvey admits he has quite a challenge ahead of him, but said he’s here for the long haul.
“I returned because I knew what I wanted to and needed to do.”