As music played in the background, students milled around the Brew on Friday, April 4, exploring stalls as Quad City vendors stepped onto campus.
Creator’s Corner set up shop just in time for the beginning of International Diversity Month. For its first time at Augustana, the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted Creator’s Corner to promote Black-owned businesses from the Quad Cities and to bring in a variety of exciting vendors for the Augustana campus to enjoy.
Senior Aniyah Davis, president of BSU, said that Creator’s Corner is an idea she’s had for some time now and was excited to finally bring it to life during her last year at Augustana.
“It’s important to highlight Black-owned businesses in the community,” Davis said. “Even just getting to know their contribution to our society as a whole is one of the goals we have for this event. We also want Black students to know that there are resources for them outside of Augustana and just overall to continue to spread positivity.”
As one of the several events BSU hosts throughout the year, the Creator’s Corner was a chance to let Black-owned businesses shine on campus and marked the success of BSU as the second half of the spring semester started.
Sophomore Johnay Swayzer, a member of BSU, said that she was happy with the event since BSU was able to showcase all the hard work they’ve put into the group throughout the year.
“I think this is going to add on to the progress we’ve made this year and bring us closer, especially since the end of the school year is coming up,” Swayzer said.
There were a variety of vendors to meet at the event, including Southpark Psychology, QC All Fit and an Augustana favorite, Lady T’s.
Many students have become familiar with the wide table of cake pops, parfaits and an assortment of other treats that Lady T’s Catering offers. As a local catering company from the Quad Cities, Lady T’s is a popular choice for many groups on campus on the hunt for a business to provide some quality baked goods.
Lady T’s Catering doesn’t keep coming back just for the business. Tyla Bolton, the founder and owner of Lady T’s Catering, said that she is always happy to work with Augustana students for their events because she can always count on a joyful and welcoming atmosphere.
“When I come here, I don’t feel like I’m working because I’m meeting students,” Bolton said. “It adds to that perfect combination of hard work and being able to see that hard work pay off. I’m proud of the students here. [I] never had any issues and everybody’s been very nice and welcoming and accommodating.”
Bolton also said that one of the most rewarding aspects of working with Augustana was seeing students grow over their four years and how often those students would come back to support the college.
“I like Augustana so much because it’s a full circle,” Bolton said. “There are times I see young people start here as a First-Year, and then I end up catering for their graduation parties. I have a lot of the staff who are my regular customers and I have friends that graduated from Augustana, and then they always go to their class reunions. It really is just one huge circle.”
Johnay Swayzer previously worked for the Observer.
