Six York University students of the Japanese Studies Program took home prizes at the 39th Ontario Japanese Speech Contest (OJSC), held online on March 7.
Sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto, the competition attracts more than 50 participants every year and offers an invaluable opportunity for learners of Japanese to demonstrate their knowledge and performance of the Japanese language. Seven York students participated in the four categories: Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced and Open.
All of the York contestants exhibited excellence in the content and performance of their speeches. The six students awarded prizes were:
- Grand Prize: Peter Wenxiang Zang (Intermediate) (JP2000)
- Beginners first: Heshan Wadumasethrige (JP1000)
- Beginners second: Taek Oh (JP1000)
- Beginners third: Harmony Newcombe (JP1000)
- Open first: Lilika Zhang (JP3000)
- Canon Special Prize: Richard Pelchat (Advanced) (JP3000)
Wadumasethrige, Zang and Zhang participated in the National Speech Contest in their respective categories on March 28, broadcast from the University of British Columbia (UBC).
The Japanese Studies Program is delighted by the outstanding achievements made by York students again this year, which builds on the strong performance in last year’s competition when five students were awarded prizes. This success, however, would not have been possible without the faculty members’ excellent coaching and tutelage. Professors Noriko Yabuki-Soh, Kumiko Inutsuka, Akiko Mitsui and Eri Takahashi coached the students diligently and professionally and led them to the successful results at the contest. Professors Yabuki-Soh and Inutsuka also served on the organizing committee, playing important roles in the contest organization and operation. In addition, Associate Professor Norio Ota also coached the students and contributed to the contest as the contest web master.
The 39th Ontario Japanese Speech Contest can be viewed on YouTube. To learn more, visit http://buna.yorku.ca/ojsc/.
Courtesy of YFile.