Using creativity to save for college
(Talk of the Town photo by Jennifer Zartman Romano)
A Columbia City High School art student is making a big impression on fashionable little girls while gradually growing her college savings fund each week. Eden Aker, above, has spent each Saturday this spring, summer and fall selling her handcrafted hair adornments at the Whitley County Farmers Market in downtown Columbia City. Frequently joined by her art teacher, Tammy Banks, Aker has designed and created a wide assortment of headbands, hats and hairclips to decorate little girls' locks. Aker said she enjoys the opportunity create beautiful items people want to purchase -- and the money she's raising is going straight into her college fund. She is evaluating art schools she hopes to attend after graduation. Aker's booth at the market can typically be found close to the intersection of Chauncey and Market Streets on the Whitley County Courthouse square.