My mentees and I decided to keep the same theme from last semester’s Explore Columbus and go get ice cream together. This time, we had one more mentee join us for some fun! On a Monday night at the end of the spring semester, Lauren, Laura, Sydney, and I went to Graeter’s Ice Cream. Although it was one of the unusually cold nights we had this April, we all would never say no to ice cream. With our really busy everyday schedules, it was really great to all meet up before finals, catch up, and spend some time together.
Fortunately, one of my roommates keeps a car on campus. She was not using it that specific night and allowed me to borrow it for the occasion. This was extremely convenient because we did not have to worry about figuring out the bus system, when a bus was coming, what bus to get on, and waiting in the cold. It was also nice because having a car allowed us to go a little farther off campus, somewhere I am not even sure if a bus passes by. We all decided to head on over to Graeter’s Ice Cream in Upper Arlington. Once I picked up my roommate’s car, I drove over to Smith-Steeb to pick up Lauren, Laura, and Sydney. After I picked them up, it was about a ten-minute drive to Graeter’s Ice Cream.
Out of the four of us, all of us had not been to Graeter’s Ice Cream in a long time so we were excited to be back. Considering the extremely cold weather, the ice cream shop was surprisingly crowded. As soon as we walked through the doors, we quickly secured one of the only open tables in the entire store. We then headed to the ice cream. After taste-testing a few different kinds of ice cream, we all ordered and paid. Once we found our seats, we spent the next hour eating some delicious ice cream and catching up. It was really awesome getting to talk to Lauren and Laura since I had not seen them in a while and to talk to Sydney more, who I had yet to spend a significant amount of time with. We all got along really well and had some great conversations. We talked about our finals and final projects we had coming up, shared our plans and adventures for the summer, and what our class schedules looked like in the fall. Lauren, Laura, and Sydney each reflected on their first years at Ohio State, their first year as an ACE scholars, and asked questions and advice about the following year. Even though the four of us could have probably stayed in Upper Arlington for hours just talking, we had to head back to campus since one of my mentee’s had a floor meeting.
The Explore Columbus requirement for the ACES mentorship program is one of my favorite parts of this scholars program. Although sometimes it can be a hassle to figure out a day and time that works for everyone, especially with three mentees and finals season quickly approaching, it is so much fun once we are together. It was really difficult to find a time that worked for everyone in our little group. What I found kept happening was we would be set on a date and time about a week in advance, but then last minute something would come up for someone. Or one date and time would work for two people and another date and time would work for the other two. Finally, however, we figured out a date and time that worked for all four of us and I was so glad. Despite that confusion, it really is a great experience. One of our favorite parts about this event that Lauren, Laura, Sydney, and I discussed while driving to get ice cream was just getting off campus. We talked about how sometimes we feel somewhat trapped on campus and how it feels so nice and relaxing to spend some time away from campus, even if it is just for a few hours. I also really enjoy how this event gives my mentees and me a chance to talk and get to know each other better away from ACES and structured ACES events.
Reflecting on this Explore Columbus event and our trip to Graeter’s Ice Cream, I would definitely recommend this trip to others. It is relatively close to campus and it is easy to get to. Graeter’s also has some amazing ice cream flavors that I would encourage people to try and I even want to go back and try more! They also have a great patio to sit on outside when the weather is nice!