Written by: Eva Resz
On Thursday, Oct. 3, Southern Adventist University hosted its third annual “Taste of Southern” gala at The Signal in downtown Chattanooga. Southern selected 10 students to attend the event, each representing their department. The dinner featured a live auction and performances by Southern’s Jazz ensemble and the gospel quartet Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, all with the aim to bring a bit of campus to downtown Chattanooga businesses.
Ken Shaw, Southern president, initiated the idea of the gala, which was developed in 2022 to raise funds for first-generation student scholarships. In an interview with the Accent, Shaw said the event has been a success and has raised over $220,000 for the first-generation endowed scholarship.
“Sometimes [it’s] more challenging for first-generation students to be successful, and we want all of our students to be successful, obviously,” said Shaw. “With these students, sometimes just a little extra financial help can help them to be successful.”
To attend, sponsors had to put down money to reserve one of the 30 tables at the event, according to Shaw. Sponsors then invited special guests from the community and campus to attend.The sponsors include area businesses, Southern Southern alum and board members, according to an email by Ellen Hostetler, vice president for Advancement.
A Taste of Southern’s website displays the 22 businesses from the community who sponsored tables at this year’s event, many of which are owned by alumni or are where Southern students intern.
“[The event is] a great public relations way to share the good news about Southern,” said Shaw.“There are people in our community that know that there’s a school in Collegedale, but they don’t know much about it. And this showcases what our students are doing and their successes.”
“[The event is] a great public relations way to share the good news about Southern.”
This year, the event coordinators invited 10 hand-selected Southern students to go to the gala, according to Preston Waters, senior marketing major. Waters, along with nine other students, were nominated by their respective departments to attend the event.
“It was a really unique event, and it was well decorated,” Waters said. “When [President] Ken Shaw started talking about students and their accomplishments, it made me proud to be a Southern student.”
Lesieli Savelio, senior public relations and international studies- Spanish major, was one of the students invited.
“We had some pre-gala training, and someone from the advancement office told us that this was something new; they had not invited students [as guests] in prior years,” Savelio said. “We were told that this would be a great chance to network with sponsors and attendees.”
Savelio shared that although she felt honored to be invited, the event differed from what she expected.
“I didn’t get to network as much as I thought I would,” she said. “While I loved hearing the live jazz band, it was difficult to have conversation over the music.”
“While I loved hearing the live jazz band, it was difficult to have conversation over the music.”
Chidi Onyeije, senior accounting major, also attended the gala.
during the Southern Gala. Thursday, October 03, 2024. (Photo by Mila Bales)
“My favorite part was having a conversation with Gary Rustad, Georgia-Cumberland Conference president,” Onyeije said. “He was the most connective person at the event. He is such a kind, down-to-earth guy. He cared about us beyond us as students, beyond the church; he truly cared about us as people.”
The event began at 6 p.m. with a pre-show emceed by the SJC Ignite team that included a bake-off competition by Southern’s culinary team, a silent auction and live pieces by Southern’s Jazz ensemble.
Following the pre-show, the main event began at 7 p.m. Southern alum and Tennessee State Representative, Greg Vital, opened the evening with invocation. Shaw then made a short speech and introduced two unique videos: one showcasing two students who were recipients of the first-generation scholarship last year, and the other about an alum who has worked in the public school system for nearly 50 years.
Gala attendees were given the option to donate an amount directed towards the first-generation student fund. Approximately $225,000 has been raised, according to Hostetler.
