Wilbur Wright's New Tea Garden

By: Aaron Rotter

Wilbur Wright College's Tea Garden is a calming, secluded space to study, talk, or relax with hot tea. It is a comfortable area that is stocked full of free tea and soothing plants that were created to be a relaxing escape for all students.

“We wanted to do things that encouraged people to take time away to refresh,” said Tea Garden co-creator Tineka Scalzo. “We wanted to have a relaxing place where people can study or zone out [and] we want it to be for everybody, students and staff.”

Everyone who made the tea garden possible succeeded in their goals for a welcoming and relaxing environment. Luna, a second-year student, majoring in education, said “The arrangement is nicely secluded” and described the space as “cozy” and “settled”.

The area to receive your tea, with a few different options. Photo Credit: Jonathan Suarez

If you don’t have time to sit and relax in between classes, the Tea Garden can still be a useful resource to help push you through the day, Alex, a second-year student, majoring in engineering. Uses the free tea provided as a pick-me-up before his next classes. Before the Tea Garden opened, Alex used to buy tea from the cafeteria and described the prices as “highway robbery."

Whether you need a comforting space to destress, a quiet place to study, or caffeine to get through the day, the tea garden is the perfect place. The tea garden can be found in the southeast corner of the library. Just look for the corner with greenery and a table of tea.