Ice-Cream Social – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Scoops of Fun at the LEAP/PLS Ice-Cream Social!

On September 3, 2025, Pre-Law Society kicked off the 2025 fall semester with an Ice Cream Social to welcome new, curious and returning members, providing an opportunity to learn more about what Pre-Law Society and LEAP is and offers its students.

The first official meeting for the fall semester will be held on September 17, 2025, giving students enough time to pay their dues and get a proper grasp of everything the two programs offer.

At 4:00p.m., the Ice Cream Social welcomed members and potential members in the Holcombe Room, providing various sweet treats, beverages, a prize wheel, and inspirational smiles.

This semester’s event brought many students from various backgrounds to share their ideas and questions with other like-minded students, which in return, caused students to leave with turning their goals into actions and worries into motivations.

Beyond greeting, students have the chance to check in, grab a treat and win a prize.

The prizes ranged from bronze to silver to gold, all including useful stationery and accessories. These prizes were created by LEAP ambassadors, Michelle Cardenas, Olivia Discon, and Olivia McCaughan. The wheel and prize area created a communication space for newer students to become familiar with networking, and to express questions, ideas, and goals for their future.

While people always enjoy some good ice cream, toppings, cookies, and brownies…

…the nicest aspect of the event was the socializing that took place. Everywhere we looked, there were conversations, information exchanged, and smiles.

Indeed, this environment must have been motivational, because by the end of the evening, the Pre-Law Society had 38 members, in what we hope is a record-breaking membership year!

A Prize-Worthy Return: LEAP’s Ice-Cream Social

Each semester, the LEAP Center invites faculty, staff, and students to the LEAP Center, where visitors can win some prizes…

…learn more about the LEAP Center, and sign up for events that might interest them. And, of course, have ice cream.

This year, we had a smattering of staff and faculty, and a healthy dose of students–all of whom we hope will join us for future events!

LEAP stands for Law, Engagement, And Politics, but it’s really “engagement” that we put the most focus on. The University, however, thinks we are basically a law and politics center, so we have some marketing and education to do! Our events take us to art museums, places to study the environment, theatres of all sorts, many volunteering venues, and, activities of our own devising. Our goal is to form lasting partnerships for the good of the community…

…and the immediate and long-term benefit of the students who participate.

This fall, we have a number of activities for people interested in all sorts of activities:

Law: Mock Law Class (Sept 21), Mock LSAT (Oct 8), PLS Meetings
International Affairs: China, North Korea, & Taiwan (Sept 14), Chinese Dissident Teng Biao (Oct 5)
Volunteerism: Oakwood Cemetery (Sept 10), Scare on the Square (Oct 29), Boys & Girls Club (Nov 5)
Speakers: Texas Tribune Festival in Austin (September 21-25)
Conferences: Popular Culture Association, New Orleans (October 12-16)
Internships/Experiential Learning: City Fellows, Sam Houston Austin Internship Program
Our Programs: Beyond Bars–Oct 4, 11, 18, 25

So, while students came and competed for prizes…

…we chatted with them, updating them about our activities, and hoping more students will get involved in the great activities we offer every semester!

The LEAP Ambassadors would like to thank Amari Gallien, Ashlyn Parker, and Anastasia Rose Aquino for their help at the Ice-Cream Social!

Getting the Scoop on LEAP!

by Makayla Mason

With the spring semester off to a great start and no snow-storms in sight, the LEAP Ambassadors, as well as the Pre-Law Society, teamed up to host an ice cream mixer open to all SHSU student and staff to inform them of upcoming events. Not only that, but it was also a great time to chat and catch up with everyone.

Students mingled with each other over some yummy ice cream. But the larger point of the mingling was to alert students to upcoming events. The LEAP Center, in addition to sponsoring the Moot Court team and the Pre-Law Society, participates in approximately 50 events a semester. Of these, they actually sponsor or arrange about 25, meaning that they provide numerous opportunities for students to learn outside of the classroom, network with people who can have an impact on their careers, and to have fun as well.

In the next month, for example, the LEAP Ambassadors are involved in:

A presentation by Chairman Christi Craddick (chair of the Texas Railroad Commission (January 30);
A presentation by Jeremy Suri, author of “The Impossible Presidency“
A coffee with Congressman Kevin Brady (February 19);
A presentation by “Democracy Coach” Nancy Bocskor (February 20);
A Mock Law class featuring Professor Val Ricks from South Texas College of Law–Houston (February 21);
A Mock LSAT (February 24)

We hope the students enjoyed their time at the Ice Cream Social as much as we enjoyed the time getting to meet them.

Soon afterwards, we headed downstairs for the first Pre-Law meeting of the year where students learned more about what it takes to become a lawyer and how the Pre-Law organization could help them get there.

We also went over upcoming events and met some new members!

Thanks to all the students who came by to say hi and we wish everyone a successful semester!

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