SLLLC Student Wins Special Prize at National Japanese Speech Contest

The 34^th National Japanese Speech Contest (2023) returns to in person after 3 years as a result of Covid. The Contest was held on March 26^th, 2023, at The Japan Foundation, placed in Toronto. The venue featured 25 participants from all around Canada. Along with Master of Ceremonies, Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest Organizing Committees, Organizing Members in Toronto as well as Judges.

Jessie Zheng, who won first place in the intermediate Category at the 34^th Alberta District Japanese Speech Contest participated the National Japanese Speech Contest and won Special Prize!

We would like to congratulate Jessie on her achievement, and sincere appreciation and recognition to all Japanese professors at University of Calgary who also put in a great amount of work and energy on assisting all participants from working on their intonations and assisting with presentation skills.

Jessie is pursuing an undergraduate degree in East Asian Language studies with a minor in Management and Society. Jessie’s speech “Four things I learnt in Canada”, contains four valuable lessons she learnt from her own point of view. Which includes culture differences, educational differences, challenges she faced by living on her own as well as a new perspective she gained along the way. Her speech discussed the importance of stepping out of our comfort zone and willing to accept all sorts of challenges life brings us in order to break open our shell and become a better version of ourselves.

The Canada National Japanese Speech Contest was established in 1989 under the auspices of the Japanese Embassy in Ottawa in order to promote Japanese language education in Canada. Consulates General of Japan, universities and corporations have provided amazing support and assistance in making this event very successful and important to the Japanese community. Each year, many students from the University of Calgary enter the Alberta district contest, proceed to the National contest and come back with remarkable results.