Most famously, Williams, a fourth-year in human resources, said their grandfather, Larry Lokai — also known as “Buck eyeman” — is a prominent football super fan.
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“Whenever they come up, not only are they showing me old bars or old restaurants they used to go to, I get to show them my spots and what I like to do,’’ Grace Castricone
COURTESY OF GRACE CASTRICONE
Grace Castricone said she enjoyed the gatherings and thrill of game day as a child, being able to participate in a tradi tion that seemed important to her father.
From the family traditions and her history with Ohio State football, Grace Castricone was influenced to attend the university and study athletic training.
From a small town of West Liberty, Ohio, Williams said it was important for them to follow the lead of many members of their family by attending Ohio State and gaining similar opportunities.
Williams said they urge all students to establish a relationship between their parents and the university for a better experience.
Williams said experiencing the excitement that their grandfather brought to football games is a core childhood memory.
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Ohio State has been a family tradition for fourthyear in athletic training Grace Castricone, whose father, Charles Castricone, graduated in 1994 after studying education.
Buckeyes since birth: students reflect on family
For some Ohio State students like Cas tricone, being a Buckeye runs in the family. With Parent and Family Weekend Sept. 1718, families — some made up of a long line of Buckeyes — are welcome on campus, having the opportunity to see Ohio State on a gameday Castricone,weekend.afourth-year in athletic train ing, had been acquainted with Ohio State traditions through her father, a 1994 Ohio State graduate in education Charles Cas tricone, long before becoming a Buckeye herself.
“When I was three, I had an OSU cheer leading outfit,” Grace Castricone said.
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Read about the unveiling of the monument located on the National Pan-Hellenic Council Plaza Oct. 1.
Gracesaid.
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Grace Castricone is not alone. Naomi Wil liams, who uses they/them pronouns, said their parents, siblings and cousins were all Buckeyes as well.
“Campus is large, but it’s not that large,” Williams said. “It can be intimidating from a distance, but it does feel more like home.”
Castricone said she found comfort in knowing her parents were familiar with Ohio State and made her feel confident in getting involved on campus.
Fourth-year in athletic training Grace Castricone with her father Charles Castricone watching an Ohio State football game in Ohio Stadium.
“Not only was I excited to do that, but it was the whole family, and every Saturday they would text me about it.”
COURTESY OF GRACE CASTRICONE
Saturday night games, scarlet and gray jerseys and backyard get-togethers are nothing but old traditions for Grace Castricone, who grew up a Buckeye fan.
“One of my clinical rotations was the foot ball team last year,” Grace Castricone said.
“When I was younger, it was more so seeing him on TV,” Williams said. “We would all scream to each other ‘He’s on TV, he’s on TV!’”
Ohio State traditions
Now a seasoned Buckeye, Grace Castricone said she is grateful for the bond between her family and university life.
Lokai — with his trademark scarletand-gray wig, painted face and Buckeye necklaces — has become a well-known celebrity fan.
CAMPUS
Ullum said the Office of Student Life is looking forward to providing a true foot ball game experience with a tailgate at the Ohio Union Saturday evening and celebra tions at the game.
“It’s also very important for a student that family members support them,” Isaacs said. “Their support is an integral part of student success, and the more families that can relate to what their students are see ing and experiencing and what’s involved
in their life, the better equipped they are to provide that support, even if it’s from a Accordingdistance.”
The Parent and Family Weekend sched ule also includes events around Columbus and highlights the many resources students have off campus, Beth Ullum, assistant di
“The experience that these families are going to get in the stadium is the return ing of all of the alumni band members and cheerleaders, so it’s typically where the Script Ohios happen, there’s cheerleaders all the way around the stadium,” Ullum said. “So, if they wanted a true out-of-con trol game-time experience, they’re defi nitely going to get this, having it also be the alumni game.”
“For example, the Oval looks exactly as it did and is intended that way,” Isaacs said. “It looks exactly as it did multiple genera tions ago when grandma and grandpa were here. It looks the same, and so I think a lot of people coming back to campus en joy that experience of what’s the same and what’s new.”
loved ones with celebrations and activities
Parent and Family Weekend returns, welcomes
From Sept. 16-18, families and parents can find a weekend full of events on campus, around Columbus and at Saturday’s tail gate. University spokesperson Dave Isaa cs said Parent and Family Weekend is an opportunity for families to learn and expe rience exactly what their student endures throughout their time at Ohio State.
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rector of parent and family relations, said. Ullum said this variety has resulted in fa vorable reception from visiting families.
Loved ones are making their way to cam pus this weekend as Ohio State hosts its annual Parent and Family Weekend, with this year’s events coinciding with a home football game against Toledo.
According to the website, other events in clude a lecture by Saeed Jones at the Wex ner Center for the Arts, a photo opportu nity with Bronze Brutus and the ability to see the current exhibitions at the Wexner Center and the Billy Ireland Cartoon Li brary & Museum.
“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from families,” Ullum said. “We equally highlight other things in the surrounding area that, if they are local to Ohio or want to checkout Columbus, we offer some great options for them as well”.
Isaacs said this weekend is a chance for generations to compare their experiences at Ohio State and reflect on similarities and differences over the years.
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to the Office of Student Life Par ent and Family Relations website, families can check-in at the Ohio Union and partake in events throughout the weekend includ ing “A Walk in Our ‘Shoe: 100 Years of Ohio Stadium” at Thompson Library and enjoy free family workouts hosted at the Recreational and Physical Activity Center.
Tanisha Jenkins, Ohio State’s associate vice president for belonging and inclusion, said the ribbon-cutting ceremony and un veiling of the NPHC Plaza will take place behind the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultur al Center Oct. 1 at 11 a.m.
In less than three weeks, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the nine historically Black, Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities at Ohio State, will be unveiling their new monument.
National Pan-Hellenic Council to unveil new monument on the South Oval in October
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project man ager for Facilities Operations and Devel opment, said in an email the project cost $1.1 million and is approximately 950 square feet. She said the project contains nine monuments, one for each of the fraternities and sororities, occasionally referred to as the Divine Nine.
Shivers said the plaza is important be cause the NPHC and the Divine Nine have such a significant impact on Ohio State, the surrounding communities and nation ally, so it felt necessary to recognize their hard work with their own space.
According to the Sorority and Fraternity Life website, are Alpha Phi Alpha Frater nity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sig ma Theta Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
“The history of the Divine Nine and the NPHC organizations in particular are real ly powerful and historic, and so to be able to have that sort of physical representation and visual representation on campus is critical,” Shivers said.
After roughly 50 years working to get representation on campus, the National Pan-Hellenic Council — the nine histori cally Black, Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities at Ohio State — has less than three weeks to wait before the unveiling of their new monument.
Shivers said the monuments also foster diversity, inclusion and community on a campus where it can feel difficult to do so due to its size. She said she hopes students can visit the plaza not only to learn about the organization’s history, but to feel welcomed by current NPHC members and make impactful connections.
“Everyone really has a story in those bricks, so I think that will be a really spe cial part too for people to recognize when they’re unveiled,” Stuck said.
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many purposes — including building community, honoring the history of the NPHC and becoming a go-to space where members can meet.
alumni, family, staff and other contributors with their names on them.
Tracy Stuck, assistant vice president for student life, said there are over 1,000 peo ple who have RSVP’d to the event.
COURTESY OF OHIO STATE STUDENT LIFE
“A lot of people haven’t been back to cam pus since they graduated from Ohio State, so this is just a really special moment that a lot of people are coming back for their chapters and/or the Black Alumni Soci ety,” Stuck said.
Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers said the plaza will serve
“Our hope is that it will serve as a central location for NPHC chapters to gather and to connect,” Shivers said. “Certainly, as specific chapters want to host different events, it feels like it will be a great space for Karinthat.”Murillo-Kirlangitis,
Jenkins said the celebrations and a welcoming reception will occur during homecoming weekend, starting with each NPHC chapter riding in golf carts and walking in the homecoming parade alongside alumni members and the Black Alumni Society Sept. 30. She said having the event during homecoming weekend was important in order to bring in and celebrate generations of past alumni.
Stuck said the plaza will also feature am phitheater-like seating and over 450 bricks in the center of the plaza purchased by
“At an institution the size of ours, it’s not always easy to feel like you can build community or find community, and in 2022, we will have visual representation of what it means to facilitate community building in a very different way than Black students have had in the past,” Shivers Shiverssaid. said she hopes the plaza will also be a tool for strengthening diversity on campus in the future as prospective students — especially ones who are taking tours of Ohio State — can see spaces like the plaza and feel included.
“It’s not just for the past or even for the present, but it’s really about the future,” Shivers said.
“We’re going to become a part of a large community across this country who are giving a nod — have given a nod — to the significance of diversity, equity and inclusion on our campus.”
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field returns after two-year hiatus
Heise said the flower field enters the minds of visitors long before bloom sea son, and the Chamber of Commerce values
presenting it yearly.
”As a shop owner, I can tell you that we start getting questions in May as to when the sunflower field is going to bloom; it’s really tough for any one organization to coordinate this and run this and make it happen,” Heise said. “It’s something we as a Chamber want to make sure happens for our community and our visitors. ”
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“There’s generations of kids who have their pictures taken in front of the sunflow ers, which has been one of the downsides of the last couple of years,” Heise said. “I know my family, we took pictures at the same place and the same time every year.”
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For the first time since 2019, Whitehall Farm, located in Yellow Springs, Ohio, has brought back their popular sunflower field.
ARTS&LIFE
GRACE DEROLPH | LANTERN REPORTER Whitehall Farm, located in Yellow Springs, Ohio, has brought back their sunfower feld for the frst time in three years.
Off Route 68, not far from the main strip of the town, the field is nestled on about 940 acres of land and is a popular destina tion for visitors, Mark Heise, chair of the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce and local business owner, said. The field of yellow sunflowers is an accurate way to represent the namesake of Yellow Springs,
Columbus, will be open to the public on the weekends of Sept. 10 and Sept. 17 from sunrise to sunset, weather permitting.
Sunflowers are back: Whitehall Farm’s sunflower
The field is a very popular spot for the Yellow Springs community and visitors because it offers a unique spectacle and sense of joy. Ashley Mangen, a volunteer at the field who helps ensure visitors’ safe ty and preserve the field, said.
Dave and Sharen Neuhardt, who bought Whitehall Farm fully in 1999 with the help of the community, promised the farm would be used for agriculture. They now loan the property out for events like the an nual sunflower field, which the Tecumseh Land Trust and Chamber of Commerce use as a form of fundraising for public safety measures, Heise said.
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A new Columbus boutique fulflls its owners dream of working in fashion.
he“Thissaid.is
one of our efforts to try and bring events back to Yellow Springs and exude a true Yellow Springs experience,” Heise said. “It is one of the most family-friendly events that we partner with to help run, and people come from all over the country.”
Originally set to bloom around Sept. 15, the sunflowers gave organizers and volun teers a surprise by blooming two weeks early. The field, about an hour drive from
“It gives a sense of maybe happiness and joy to be out in nature and to look at the sunflowers,” Mangen said. “A lot of people have a lot of happy memories whether it’s with the sunflowers or a part of their day when they come out to see it.”
After a career in law, Nicci Hicks chose to not give up her dream.
B.J. Hicks, Nicci Hicks’ husband, said he knew Nicci Hicks wanted to open a bou tique and he thought she would be success ful doing so.
think you look about, I don’t think you pay as much attention or just me,” Plun kett-Saunders said. “I don’t think I paid that much attention to the sustainability or the impact that the designers made on the world because it’s been so limiting. So I appreciate her putting it all in one place.”
“I think when you’re shopping at a depart ment store, you’re more so looking at, you know, the color, the material, but I don’t
“After several conversations, it became abundantly clear that to not do this would be harmful to her,” B.J. Hicks said. “I know she has full passion and when she has full thoughts into something, she will be successful. So, that’s when it became very easy for me to say, well, of course you have to do this.”
“She’s a good shopper. She’s a professional shopper. She has a keen understanding of people,” B.J. Hicks said. “She has a keen understanding of what makes a great store and what makes a great business.”
“She could look at the contract, she could speak with a leasing agent, landlords and banks,” B.J. Hicks said. “But then she also has the soft skills and the EQ to welcome someone in any walk of life, male, female, age is no difference.”
“So, we carry established and emerging brands from around the world with the focus on brands that are inclusive,” Nicci
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Pivot owner Nicci Hicks poses in the frst room of her store.
B.J. Hicks said his wife’s shopping skills and understanding of others is a reason he knew she could take on the challenge of opening a boutique.
“Each time I climbed that corporate ladder here in Columbus, I thought, man, that’s really cool to do,” Hicks said. “So, I just decided to go out on faith and be brave and, and pursue it during the pandemic.”
Career pivot leads lawyer to open boutique, fulfills dream working with fashion
Pivot carries brands from all over the world that are sustainable and inclusive such as TKEES, Woden and Shoto, according to their website.
Pivoting careers from lawyer and corporate executive to business owner allowed Hicks to act on a childhood love for fashion by opening Pivot, a women’s boutique with a curated selection of shoes, handbags and accessories in July.
Hicks said. “So Black owned, women and minority owned as well as those brands that are Althoughsustainable.”Pivotserves as the name for Nic ci Hicks’ business, she said it is represen tative of her own personal transformation.
Crystal Plunkett-Saunders, a friend of Nic ci Hicks, said Nicci Hicks’ focus on small, women-owned, minority-owned and sus tainable brands has educated her on how to become a better consumer.
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B.J. Hicks said Nicci Hicks’ experience as a lawyer and corporate executive provid ed her the foundation to navigate the legal side of owning a business along with her people skills.
COURTESY OF SHERON COLBERT
“I think when we think about careers, often we think about them in a linear fashion, but we all are worth multiple passions and pur poses,” Nicci Hicks said. “So, it just rep resents bravery. It represents going in on faith, it represents investing in yourself.”
Muzerall said her favorite moment with the team was when they watched Team USA play Team Canada prior to the Olympics as a group, featuring two Buckeyes on op posing sides in current graduate forward Emma Maltais and now-graduated defen seman Jincy Dunne.
THE LANTERN your back now, and you’re going to get ev erybody’s best,” Muzerall said. “You’re al ways going to have someone chasing you, and that’s a good problem, right?”
Asst. Arts & Life price.1422@osu.eduEditor
BRETT PRICE
After earning its frst national championship in program history, the Ohio State women’s ice hockey team returns to action at No. 1.
The Buckeyes return five graduate play ers — including graduate defender Sophie Jaques, the 2022 Western Collegiate Hock ey Association Defender of the Year, and junior goaltender Amanda Thiele, who held a 1.31 goals-against average last year which stands as an Ohio State season re
SPORTS
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“It’s the first time in program history where we’re starting the season as the No. 1 team in the country. There’s a huge target on
“I have a great pride of being a Gopher Alum, but I’ll tell you, the love that we got when we won, I never experienced at Minnesota,” Muzerall said. “The love and the way they take care of my own personal family as well, it pulls at the heartstrings, and it makes you want to compete and play for your state, because everyone is rallying behind you. They don’t care if it’s football or women’s hockey, they just want success. They just want the Buckeyes to win.”
Women’s Ice Hockey: Buckeyes look to build on success, championship culture
“We’ve got a good culture and foundation to lean on, but this year seems completely different,” Levis said. “It’s super important for us to look forward to this season as its own, and separate it from what we’ve done in the past. We graduated a bunch of play ers last year, and have a bunch of freshmen who are ready to go at it.”
The Ohio State women’s ice hockey team enters the 2022 season just six months after making history — claiming its first national championship in program history — along with winning a program-record 32 games.
Despite the discourse, accolades and noise, head coach Nadine Muzerall said the No. 1 Buckeyes continue to stay focused on the upcoming season and are excited for the opportunity to defend their title.
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In the past six months, Muzerall said she and the team have reflected on all they accomplished while receiving outpouring support from the state of Ohio.
“What I loved about that was, we’re all coming together for a common goal of just cheering on our Buckeye team,” Muzerall said. “It wasn’t about them, it wasn’t about OSU — it was just about the sisterhood and rooting for each other.”
The Buckeyes open the 2022-23 season on the road Sept. 30 with a two-game series at Minnesota State.
Graduate forward Paetyn Levis, who led the Buckeyes with 24 goals in last year’s championship campaign, said the team has worked hard to build on the foundation they’ve set while adding new faces to the team and staff.
“I wouldn’t say there’s pressure; we just have high expectations for ourselves every year,” Levis said. “We’re just going to at tack the year the same way we have in the past. I think we’ve done a good job.”
Regardless of the historic run last season, Levis said the team still goes about its busi ness like any other year.
“Championships are often won based on culture and leadership,” Muzerall said. “Sophie along with Levis, (Gabby) Rosen thal, Maltais and (Madison) Bizal are all back as fifth-years, and that is one heck of a lineup in itself, to have those strong com
petitors come back. They didn’t have to come back. They really wanted to continue the success in defending the title.”
said the return of veterans is a testament to the championship culture the team looks to build on.
In the Big Ten Preview edition Sept. 8, the Rutgers story was missing from the print edition but correctly posted online.
Muzerallcord.