Four York University undergraduate students have built on the the Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics’ (DLLL) Japanese Studies Program’s award-winning legacy by earning top prizes at the 36th Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest (NJSC).
Coming off their historic first place wins at the recent Ontario Japanese Speech Contest, Ava-karie Hislop, Yuna Wong, Alex Sarkozi and Cheryl Leung presented their provincially award-winning talks at the national competition and – once more – walked away with top recognitions.
Hislop was awarded the grand prize (for placing first in the advanced category) for her talk titled “What is ‘Good Hair’?” which explores the relationship that many Black people – including Hislop – have with their hair in communities.
Wong received the Mitsui Award for earning 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.
Sarkozi was awarded the Toyota Award for placing first in the beginner's 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.
Finally, Leung was given the Canon Award for placing third in the intermediate category for a speech titled “Collecting Mania … Treasure or Waste?” In it, she talked about her passion for collecting small Japanese items, tying it to childhood memories and environmental issues, while also proposing a way to make the best decision as a consumer.
What gave the competition added meaning was the fact that it was hosted at York University for the first time since 2010.
DLLL Associate Professor Noriko Yabuki-Soh in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who also serves as member of the NJSC organizing committee, asked to host the event as Chair this year. Yabuki-Soh worked with faculty members Kumiko Inutsuka, Akiko Mitsui, and Eri Takahashi to coach the students, while also planning the event.
Being able to compete at the Keele Campus not only gave the York undergraduate students a sense of familiarity, but provided an opportunity for them to serve as York ambassadors with their fellow contestants and attendees from across the country.
For Yabuki-Soh, the chance to host the event, and those who competed in it, represented a major highlight. “I found the level of this year’s national Japanese speech contest to be the highest in my long career,” she says.
That makes her all the more impressed with the success of her students. “We are so proud of them,” she says.
With files from Noriko Yabuki-Soh