Sacramento State’s community is home to many thriving student-run businesses, whose founders are taking on the challenge of balancing school life with their passion. Women-identifying students are among the vendors at campus events, such as the Stinger Bloom on April 28, taking the opportunity to present their women-owned businesses to the community.

Women students of Sac State take up about 58% of our undergraduate population, making their presence one of great importance on campus. These women take the initiative to create and share their work through the challenge of creating a business, prioritizing their passions by taking these first steps in making their dreams a reality.

Campus resources like the Pop-Up Shop in the University Union, Stinger Expo events and a multitude of other school-run cultural events feature vending booths from student businesses.

Freshman Goretti Garcia is one of these women who has chosen to manage her business Love, Goretti while pursuing a degree in political science. She said her love of crafting led her to start her business in high school when friends and family would ask to buy her work and encouraged her to expand.

“I’ve always been a very crafty and creative person and have tried lots of different things, but making the products that I now sell is what stuck with me the most,” Garcia said.

Garcia sells an array of handmade bracelets and keychains ranging in themed aesthetics, characters and features musical groups such as Aespa and Katseye. She also accepts custom orders, where customers incorporate pictures of loved ones or favorite characters.

She said that since she creates with her personal interests in mind, different creative or themed fan products will be occasionally added to her Instagram account for purchase. As a result, she has been able to meet more people with similar interests through her themed fan creations.

As Goretti Garcia makes her debut as an on-camps vendor, she continues crafting products and custom orders at her booth on March 18, 2026. She said she uses her time in between sales to decorate keychains and package her orders. (Photo by Janelle Germain)

In addition to utilizing her social media to primarily sell her work, she said she also uses Depop and Mercari to practice making her own website for expanding her customer base in the future.

Goretti said she participated in the Pop-Up Shop as a first-time vendor on March 17. She said that, in addition to the exposure that would grow her business, she’s enjoyed the opportunity to connect with her peers.

“Something I really love about the audiences and people I’ve sold to so far is their appreciation for handmade products,” Garcia said. “It really makes me love what I do even more.”

As she continues to challenge herself by finding her balance between her college career, part-time job and managing her passion project, Garcia said the love she has for sharing her work makes it worth it.

“One of the biggest things I love about selling is seeing the people’s excitement about my keychains and bracelets,” Garcia said. “It makes me so happy that my products can bring joy to others.”

Hannah Hufana is a second year health science major who shares the sentiment of the audience connection, especially as her business Hannah’s Artbooth features her illustrating portraits live. Hufana takes the classic photobooth experience and uses her own drawing talent to add a unique twist through cartoon-style portraits.

Customers can visit her table made to resemble a photobooth, Instead of a camera, Hufana sits opposite and hand-draws each photo. This personalized experience allows customers to purchase photo-strip or portrait style drawings of themselves, friends or family.

After discovering the live-photobooth idea from social media creators, she decided it was a good way to share the drawing style that she already used to draw her friends, and later customers at Stinger Expo.

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“Seeing my friends and peers tabling for Stinger Expo made me realize I could start a business too,” Hufana said. “It has been my dream to show off my art at a market.”

Hufana has ventured out to Worlds Worst Expo and other new markets, but mainly strives to stay local to Sacramento. Now, she’s shared her business advice at on campus events like Passion Profit on March 17 to teach others the entrepreneurship skills to build their own businesses. She continues to manage the hard work of juggling orders, social media and communicating with event coordinators and customers for her business on top of school work.

“I feel like I have such a passion for my business; I have been more motivated to make more time for it by getting my assignments out of the way early,” Hufana said. “If anything, I think I’ve become better at time management because of it.”

In pursuing her talent, she says she’s found a niche way to share her art and expand its reach. Hufana said that the mixed crowd of friends, siblings and partners asking for portraits is an aspect that she loves most.

“I love seeing everyone’s different dynamics and hearing their stories.” Hufana said. “[It allows me to] peek into other people’s lives and connect with people I usually would not come into contact with as a more introverted person.”

She says the response from customers has been positive, with some claiming to show up only to re-experience her booth.

Sarah Guadagnolo is another artist who frequents on-campus events selling paintings, stickers and postcards featuring her artwork. Using these art forms meant for people to use, she is able to allow herself a creative outlet and share it with her peers.

“I feel that creating physical art is not just satisfying but also helps me to express my interests, passions or ideas,” Guadagnolo said. “I love sharing it with others and hearing about or seeing the impact it might have on their thoughts or feelings.”

Sarah Guadagnolo connects with members of the Hispanic-Serving Institution Anniversary Event while displaying and selling her art Feb. 26, 2026. She celebrated her Hispanic heritage by sharing a painting that portrays common experiences within the Latine and Hispanic community. (Photo by Janelle Germain)

She said her art focuses on both lighthearted images of things she enjoys, as well as a more personal side that displays her feelings and relationships as expressed through symbolism. Guadagnolo creates everything from portraits of a lounging cat in a field to a sentimental portrait of her grandmother, capturing the “whimsical and warm” energy of her life.

“I try to have a balance between art that I take very seriously and art that I can have fun with,” Guadagnolo said. “I feel that sticking to one thing at all times can be limiting for creativity and drive.”

When taking an art class in her senior year of high school in the fear of burnout, she said she discovered her niche as an artist, defining the paintings she now displays.

As Guadagnolo continues this passion into college as a senior at Sac State, she faces the similar challenge of balancing her work, school and business life. She says her painting time is a relaxing process that helps her avoid burnout.

Guadagnolo has presented her work through on campus events like the HSI Anniversary and other outside events as well as being chosen to create for the “A Place of Belonging Murals” located along the southern walls of the Tschannen Engineering Teaching and Research Building near the University Union. Being able to sell and share her art on campus has given her the opportunity as an introvert to expand her artistic outreach, connections and help her stay motivated.

“I have met tons of people through Sac State that have broadened my outlook on life and my art,” Guadagnolo said. “I have struggled to find the motivation in the past to create, but feeling as if my art is building up to something bigger helps me keep going.”