Student-Made Spotlight: Kateri Hoy

Students have the advantage.

Student loans debt, housing costs, car payments, and potential dependents all pile up on young adults after graduation. These responsibilities can form stifling environments for alumni pursuing new and risky ventures. 

Many students are free of bills and financial burdens, which supports the common college motif of exploring interests and career possibilities.

Student-Made is partnering with OWU to give artists and creatives the opportunity to own their own business in this valuable time to take risks. Student-Made also simplifies entrepreneurship by covering mundane start-up tasks and costs such as sales tax, website building, shipping, and sales reports.

This particularly helped OWU sophomore and student-athlete Kateri Hoy, a sophomore, manage making her products while being on OWU’s Track and Field team. She said Student-Made encourages her creativity by providing the financial foundation needed to start a business.

“They allow me to focus on the creative side rather than the business side, which is perfect for me.”

As an English: Creative Writing major, Hoy said she was always an artist. When she’s not composing narratives or on the track, she is working on her clip-on-earrings jewelry business, Prettier than Piercings.

“I had a problem: my ears were irritated from my piercings and never closed, so I created a solution for myself: gentle and non-pinching clip-on earrings. When I learned others had this problem too, I began to make more, and it turned into a business.”

With Student-Made, students can experience being an entrepreneur with training wheels. If they learn they want to do something else, there is less to lose.

“I guess I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur because I don’t want a traditional job working for someone else. I saw this opportunity to experience that without the pressures I would have had if I did this after graduation. “

“Finding problems and creating solutions to help others is my ultimate goal.”

Creators, such as Hoy, and student-supporters are excited to meet students, faculty, alumni, and community members at their pop-up shops.

Hoy’s products can be found on studentmadeowu.com. In-person Pop-Up sales events are sprinkled throughout the semester and advertised on the Student-Made OWU Instagram.