Green tea. Black tea. White tea. Chai. Tea is making a comeback as people look for healthier alternatives to coffee. The “Tea Trend” is not only apparent across the nation, but its impact can be seen among the various students who carry their steaming drinks through MN hallways. One cup at a time, this trend is spreading from person to person across the school.
In the case of forensics, word of this trend is spreading one speech at a time. Freshman Amoolya Chengalasetty chose to write her forensics informative speech on tea this year. Exploring the history, types, and benefits of tea throughout her speech, Chengalasetty has been competing with this topic throughout the forensics
season.
“Before forensics boot camp,
which is where we learn about and try out different speech events, I went to this place called Thirst-Tea with friends and had tea for the first time. I really liked it and decided to write about it for my informative speech,” Chengalasetty said.
Never truly being exposed to tea before the
summer, the idea of writing a speech on this topic came to Chengalasetty when her friend, freshman Apsara Anugole, took her to Thirst-Tea Cafe for an experience that left quite the impression.
“I have been brought up with tea, living in
an Indian household. I drink tea because it relieves my stress, and I decided to take Amoolya to Thirst-Tea because I love that place for its great tea. e whole experience was really fun,” Anugole said.
However, despite the enjoyable experience and new insights gained, Chengalasetty admits to initially being a bit unsure about the idea of trying tea.
“I honestly didn’t really want to go to with Apsara to Thirst-Tea at first just because I hate trying new things. I was a bit skeptical to say the least,” Chengalasetty said. “But she just made me try it, and I loved it!”
At Thirst-Tea, Chengalasetty had bubble tea for the first time, and although her expectations were quite low, she ended up even writing her forensics informative speech on the topic.
“I thought it was funny of Amoolya to write her informative speech on tea, especially a er I took her there. It felt great to inspire her to write her info on the topic,” Anugole said.
However, through the experience of trying tea for the first time, not only has Chengalasetty gained an interest in tea, but the small decision to try tea has led to success in forensics as well.
“I think I have been doing really well, and I have definitely significantly improved my speaking skills, in competition” Chengalasetty said.
With every additional round, Chengalasetty is informing people about tea and its presence in our society. Tea is being served one speech at a time.