Undergraduate students from the Japanese Studies Program in York University's Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics (DLLL) competed at the annual Ontario Japanese Speech Contest on March 1 and won first prize in all four major categories.
Each year the Ontario Japanese Speech Contest invites students learning Japanese at universities and language schools to compete in four categories: Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced and Open.
Contestants present speeches that are meaningful to them in Japanese to audiences made up of fellow contestants, sponsors, government officials, Japanese language education administrators and others.
York students have frequently excelled in past years in the competition, winning or placing highly, but this year's participants set a new benchmark.
"It is the first time in the history of our Japanese Studies Program that York University that students won first prize in all four categories - we are so proud of them," says DLLL associate professor Noriko Yabuki-Soh.
Among the seven York students who completed this year, five earned top prizes for their speeches.
Ava-karie Hislop was awarded the grand prize (placing first in the Advanced category) for her speech titled "What is Good Hair'?" The speech explored the relationship that many Black people have with their hair in communities. Hislop shared how her own relationship with her hair has changed throughout her life, emphasizing how important it is to embrace her natural self.
Cheryl Leung was given Shinkikai-Sagamihara City Award (placing first in the Intermediate category) for a speech titled "Collecting Mania Treasure or Waste?" In it, she talked about her passion for collecting things, tying it to childhood memories and environmental issues, while also proposing a way to make the best decision as a consumer.
Alex Sarkozi was awarded first place in the Beginners category for a speech titled "The Study of Math, Music, and Mistakes," which recounted his own experience of how failures could often lead to success by continue to pursue things he loves.
Yuna Wong was awarded first place in the Open category for a speech titled "At the Crossroads of Cultures," which revolved around her sense of identity growing up in the mixed heritage and environment of Chinese, Japanese and Canadian cultures.
Finally, Claire Gibson was awarded the Consulate-General of Japan special prize for a speech titled "A Blank Canvas and Me," which covered her life as a young artist and how she intends to keep her own styles in her artwork against popular trends.
While there were individual winners, Yabuki-Soh notes the competition was nonetheless a team effort. Faculty members Kumiko Inutsuka, Akiko Mitsui and Eri Takahashi provided coaching, and all seven competitors worked together to practice their speeches.
As the grand prize winner, Hislop received a return ticket to Japan as a prize. She and other first-place finishers will also go on to participate in the Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest which will take place at York University from March 29 to 30.
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
