To help new students get acclimated to university life, the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement (CLCE) hosts monthly “Tea at 3” speeches in the SURC pit.

The speakers are mostly professors at Central who have gone through many of the troubles college freshmen experience today.

College is a time for trying new things, exploring talents, and also deciding a path for a career. Sometimes, however, going through these motions is not easy to do.

Hannah Barclay, program leader at the CLCE, has noticed students enjoy hearing from different adults.

“After every talk, at least one or two students have connected with the speaker and engaged in personal conversation regarding their future, or have exchanged contact information,” Barclay said.

Barclay said preparations for choosing the speakers comes from students and faculty members.

“We try to book one community member and two CWU faculty or staff members per quarter,” Barclay said. “We look to represent a variety of departments on campus to give students a chance to hear from a wide spectrum of people and to honor new or retiring members of CWU.”

This quarter’s first “Tea at 3” speech was held on Jan. 22 and featured Mercer Creek Church College pastor, Bryan Halferty.

Halferty is heavily involved in many college students’ lives at Central, and is well known for his teachings at the college youth program, “Salt.”

During his speech, Halferty said he had fears for his future when he was a freshman. He struggled with choosing a career path that involved his passions.

“I was trying to do life as a writer, but missed ministry and caring for people,” Halferty said. “There is this goodness that happens when your joy meets the needs of the world.”

Halferty encouraged students to identify who they are, silence the “haters,” listen to the wise and keep working toward their passions.

“We experience great tension internally, and the ‘hater’ factor frequently,” Halferty said. “Lean toward the kindness.”

Students were able to ask Halferty questions, and express their own challenges in deciding which path they want to take in college.

Tagan Rapp-Stieler, sophomore law and justice major, highlighted how unpredictable life is.

“You may plan your life the way you want it, but unexpected things happen,” Rapp-Stieler said. “You learn things you did not know about yourself along the way.”