Showcasing student businesses
During the second annual Side Hustle Showcase, junior marketing major Emily Narsolis won the Peer Choice Award for her art business SolisArt.
The second annual Side Hustle Showcase, hosted by Ignite Lab, brought together 12 of Loyola University Chicago's most innovative student entrepreneurs to present their businesses and share their passions. Held on March 25 in the Schreiber Center, the event featured side hustles ranging from a theatrical arts company and clothing brands to a digital magazine and home bakery. While the selection process was highly competitive – narrowing down 30+ applicants to the 12 featured side hustles – the event itself was intended to be a celebration of creativity and dedication, not a competition.
The event opened with remarks from Ugur Uygur, associate professor and director of Ignite Lab. In his opening remarks, Uygur set the tone, emphasizing that the showcase was designed to recognize and support entrepreneurs. The student entrepreneurs then displayed their ventures to fellow students, faculty, and staff – as well as a group of faculty and staff judges, each bringing their own expertise to the evaluation process. To encourage genuine interaction between entrepreneurs and all attendees, the judges remained anonymous during the event.
Award-winning entrepreneurs
Ignite Lab presented two awards at the event, totaling $1,000 in prize money split by two entrepreneurs as well as mentorship from seasoned entrepreneur Tim Lanai.
The Judge's Award went to senior information systems major Axel Rives for Unlimited Coverage Cybersecurity. Driven by a desire to close the cybersecurity knowledge gap, Rives founded his company to make tools and information more accessible. He views his work as an act of rebellion against digital censorship – the suppression of cybersecurity knowledge by AI chatbots, social media platforms, and other mainstream digital services – as well as an act of protection for users to defend their digital lives.
"Digital censorship makes getting interested in cybersecurity and related concepts extremely difficult and creates an artificial barrier to entry," Rives said. "But in my opinion, this only expands the issue since now we have a shortfall of cybersecurity professionals to protect us from hacking incidents."
The Peer Award, voted on by fellow student entrepreneurs, was given to marketing major Emily Narsolis, the artist behind SolisArt. Narsolis blends pop art, street art, and mixed media collage to form her unique art style. She successfully markets her work on Pinterest and builds community through other social media platforms.
"My passion for creating art has been prominent since I was a kid. As I grew older, I wanted to share it with the world," Narsolis shared.
Advice for fellow student entrepreneurs
When asked what advice they would give other students wanting to start a side hustle, both winners discussed the importance of following their passions:
"I'd just say follow your passion. I know that's a cliché, but it's real. Look for issues in your own experiences and trust your intuition," Rives said.
Narsolis agreed, saying, "Your side hustle should ultimately start as your passion – if you have your passion and a desire to share it with the world, you can always make something cool.
Featured side hustles
In addition to Rives and Narsolis, the Side Hustle Showcase also featured:
- Condoleezza Alexis (English/creative writing, political science, and philosophy majors), Lu’s Cookies
- Alexander Balaguer (marketing major) and Cirese Mendolia (marketing major), Campus Fundracers Racing Team
- Raadhu Botorogeanu (marketing major), Chrome Vision
- Jimmy Cai (finance major), Supply.Grail
- Leina Ndango (political science and criminal justice majors), LeinaLuxeNails
- Daniella Omer (marketing major), sandstone kc
- Trevor Raymond (accounting major), mouse media
- Shean Tabayoyong (finance major), sheancreates
- Raya Whitlock (dance and advertising majors), Written by Raya
- Lola Wucherpfennig (marketing major), Synergy