{"id":11941,"date":"2019-03-07T09:13:59","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T13:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=11941"},"modified":"2025-02-05T16:09:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T21:09:58","slug":"japanese-language-speech-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"K Nets Two Place-Winners in Japanese Language Speech Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Japanese
Four finalists representing Kalamazoo College and a supportive contingent traveled to the Novi Civic Center in February for the 23rd Japanese Language Speech Contest organized by Detroit’s Consulate General of Japan. The group included (back row, from left) Brian Drenth, Craig Esler, Natalie Quist, Uyen Trinh, Michael Smith, Hannah Pszenica, Professor Tyler Walker and Demi Grivas; (second row, from left) Ploen Villvalin, Caryn Drenth, Professor Noriko Sugimori and Pam Esler; and (front row from left) Elayna Moreau, Lydia Drenth, Amanda Esler, YoungHoon (Richard) Kim and Molly Brueger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Out of dozens of college and university students who applied this year, four Kalamazoo College students were invited to participate in the 23rd Michigan Japanese Language Speech Contest, a record for any college or university in the competition\u2019s recent history, with two finishing among the top three competitors.<\/p>\n

The contest, organized by Detroit\u2019s Consulate General of Japan, offered 10 students from Michigan colleges and universities the opportunity to showcase their language abilities in the finals through self-made speeches delivered entirely in Japanese at the Novi Civic Center. K\u2019s representatives have all been students in Associate Professor Noriko Sugimori\u2019s<\/a> third-year Japanese<\/a> language class.<\/p>\n

Sugimori noted a snow day prevented Amanda Esler \u201919, YoungHoon (Richard) Kim \u201919, Molly Brueger \u201919 and Elayna Moreau \u201921 from having their final dry run for the event. However, \u201cthe students worked hard and other students of Japanese also supported them in various ways,\u201d Sugimori said, crediting her second-year Japanese language class, which developed questions about the speeches for the competitors to answer. Some even went to Novi to support their peers. \u201cI am proud of everyone,\u201d Sugimori said.<\/p>\n

No K student had ever finished higher than third in the Japanese Language Speech Contest, until Esler finished second with her speech titled \u201cThe Importance of Friends.\u201d The speech described how she turned a difficult study abroad experience into something special through the help and encouragement of her friends.<\/p>\n

\"Japanese
Amanda Esler \u201919 (second from left) and YoungHoon (Richard) Kim \u201919 (second from right) gave Kalamazoo College two place-winners for the first time in the finals of the Michigan Japanese Language Speech Contest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPersonally, I love public speaking,\u201d Esler said. \u201cThe fact that through your words you can inspire or encourage someone is amazing. And in this contest, it wasn\u2019t in English, but rather Japanese, a language that I have spent nine years of my life learning. It was such an honor and a privilege to be able to compete and share my thoughts and experiences in Japanese.\u201d<\/p>\n

Esler said her K experiences inspired her speech, including the support she received from Sugimori and a close friend, Naori Nishimura, who was a visiting international student from Japan.<\/p>\n

Without them, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have studied abroad in Kyoto and none of the events in my speech would have occurred. So, this is really thanks to K. \u2026 I hoped to show just how much that bond [with Nishimura] meant to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim delivered a speech titled \u201cShape of Japan\u201d and won third prize, giving K a second representative among the place-winners for the first time. He spoke about his study abroad<\/a> experience in Japan and articulated his deep appreciation for the country. In his view, his appreciation for Japan can\u2019t be fully expressed in words.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an honor for me, as a student who studies Japanese,\u201d to participate in the contest, Kim said. \u201cIt meant that I am able to perform a public speech, openly expressing my thoughts and remarks on a suggested topic, through using a language that I did not know before. \u2026 It was only possible because I had an amazing faculty member and brilliant students who spent time with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brueger, in her speech titled “Breaking Barriers,\u201d talked about how soccer empowers participants to break language barriers and make new friends, leading to greater cross-cultural understanding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was an opportunity for me to feel confident about my Japanese language skills and to compete in a fun environment with other students who share an equal love for Japanese language and culture,\u201d Brueger said.<\/p>\n

Moreau delivered a speech titled \u201cThe Power of Communication\u201d about their experiences working at Osaka Suisen Fukushikai\u2019s Work Center Hoshin, a day care center in Osaka, Japan, for adults who have intellectual disabilities. The speech focused on how staff and clients communicated and how their experience can help interactions between people in general.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I worked with them, I got to experience their efforts to communicate and understand each other firsthand,\u201d Moreau said. \u201cNo matter what mistakes I made or how troublesome it was for them to try to talk to me, staff and clients alike always made the utmost effort to include me in their conversations, events and work. They were so patient with me even when they didn’t need to be, and I quickly grew to admire everyone at the Work Center. I wanted to express this admiration in my speech, to express how amazing everyone at the center was. In some way, I wanted this speech to be some small \u2018thank you\u2019 to them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Out of dozens of college and university students who applied this year, four Kalamazoo College students were invited to participate in the 23rd Michigan Japanese Language Speech Contest, a record for any college or university in the competition\u2019s recent history, with two finishing among the top three competitors. The contest, organized by Detroit\u2019s Consulate General […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":11946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[180,39,65],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-11941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-students","tag-east-asian-studies","tag-faculty","tag-japanese"],"yoast_head":"\r\nSpeech Contest Picks 4 K Reps for Finals, Selects 2 as Place-Winners<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Four students represented K in the Michigan Japanese Language Speech Contest, a record for any college in the event's recent history.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Speech Contest Picks 4 K Reps for Finals, Selects 2 as Place-Winners\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Four students represented K in the Michigan Japanese Language Speech Contest, a record for any college in the event's recent history.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News and Events\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KalamazooCollege\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-07T13:13:59+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-05T21:09:58+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/03\/Japanese-Language-Speech-Contest-Participants_Facebook.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/03\/Japanese-Language-Speech-Contest-Participants_Twitter.jpg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/\",\"name\":\"Speech Contest Picks 4 K Reps for Finals, Selects 2 as Place-Winners\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/03\/Japanese-Language-Speech-Contest-Participants-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-07T13:13:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-05T21:09:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8b54e37c984840c05e9ec797b6616166\"},\"description\":\"Four students represented K in the Michigan Japanese Language Speech Contest, a record for any college in the event's recent history.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/03\/Japanese-Language-Speech-Contest-Participants-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/03\/Japanese-Language-Speech-Contest-Participants-1.jpg\",\"width\":1188,\"height\":890,\"caption\":\"Four finalists representing Kalamazoo College and a supportive contingent traveled to the Novi Civic Center in February for the 23rd Japanese Language Speech Contest organized by Detroit's Consulate General of Japan. 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aria-label=\"archive of category Students\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/students\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Students<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/east-asian-studies\/\" rel=\"tag\">East Asian studies<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/faculty\/\" rel=\"tag\">faculty<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/japanese\/\" rel=\"tag\">Japanese<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/japanese-language-speech-contest\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<figure id=\"attachment_11946\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11946\" style=\"width: 603px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-11946\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/03\/Japanese-Language-Speech-Contest-Participants-1-600x449.jpg\" alt=\"Japanese Language Speech Contest Participants\" width=\"603\" height=\"454\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11946\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Four finalists representing Kalamazoo College and a supportive contingent traveled to the Novi Civic Center in February for the 23rd Japanese Language Speech Contest organized by Detroit’s Consulate General of Japan. The group included (back row, from left) Brian Drenth, Craig Esler, Natalie Quist, Uyen Trinh, Michael Smith, Hannah Pszenica, Professor Tyler Walker and Demi Grivas; (second row, from left) Ploen Villvalin, Caryn Drenth, Professor Noriko Sugimori and Pam Esler; and (front row from left) Elayna Moreau, Lydia Drenth, Amanda Esler, YoungHoon (Richard) Kim and Molly Brueger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Out of dozens of college and university students who applied this year, four Kalamazoo College students were invited to participate in the 23rd Michigan Japanese Language Speech Contest, a record for any college or university in the competition\u2019s recent history, with two finishing among the top three competitors.<\/p>\n<p>The contest, organized by Detroit\u2019s Consulate General of Japan, offered 10 students from Michigan colleges and universities the opportunity to showcase their language abilities in the finals through self-made speeches delivered entirely in Japanese at the Novi Civic Center. K\u2019s representatives have all been students in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/oralhistorygrant\/\">Associate Professor Noriko Sugimori\u2019s<\/a> third-year <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/japanese\/\">Japanese<\/a> language class.<\/p>\n<p>Sugimori noted a snow day prevented Amanda Esler \u201919, YoungHoon (Richard) Kim \u201919, Molly Brueger \u201919 and Elayna Moreau \u201921 from having their final dry run for the event. However, \u201cthe students worked hard and other students of Japanese also supported them in various ways,\u201d Sugimori said, crediting her second-year Japanese language class, which developed questions about the speeches for the competitors to answer. Some even went to Novi to support their peers. \u201cI am proud of everyone,\u201d Sugimori said.<\/p>\n<p>No K student had ever finished higher than third in the Japanese Language Speech Contest, until Esler finished second with her speech titled \u201cThe Importance of Friends.\u201d The speech described how she turned a difficult study abroad experience into something special through the help and encouragement of her friends.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11951\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11951\" style=\"width: 584px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11951 size-large\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/03\/Japanese-Language-Speech-Contest-Participants-2-600x450.jpg\" alt=\"Japanese Language Speech Contest Participants 2\" width=\"584\" height=\"438\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11951\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amanda Esler \u201919 (second from left) and YoungHoon (Richard) Kim \u201919 (second from right) gave Kalamazoo College two place-winners for the first time in the finals of the Michigan Japanese Language Speech Contest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cPersonally, I love public speaking,\u201d Esler said. \u201cThe fact that through your words you can inspire or encourage someone is amazing. And in this contest, it wasn\u2019t in English, but rather Japanese, a language that I have spent nine years of my life learning. It was such an honor and a privilege to be able to compete and share my thoughts and experiences in Japanese.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Esler said her K experiences inspired her speech, including the support she received from Sugimori and a close friend, Naori Nishimura, who was a visiting international student from Japan.<\/p>\n<p>Without them, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have studied abroad in Kyoto and none of the events in my speech would have occurred. So, this is really thanks to K. \u2026 I hoped to show just how much that bond [with Nishimura] meant to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kim delivered a speech titled \u201cShape of Japan\u201d and won third prize, giving K a second representative among the place-winners for the first time. He spoke about his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/k-plan\/study-abroad\/\">study abroad<\/a> experience in Japan and articulated his deep appreciation for the country. In his view, his appreciation for Japan can\u2019t be fully expressed in words.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was an honor for me, as a student who studies Japanese,\u201d to participate in the contest, Kim said. \u201cIt meant that I am able to perform a public speech, openly expressing my thoughts and remarks on a suggested topic, through using a language that I did not know before. \u2026 It was only possible because I had an amazing faculty member and brilliant students who spent time with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brueger, in her speech titled “Breaking Barriers,\u201d talked about how soccer empowers participants to break language barriers and make new friends, leading to greater cross-cultural understanding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was an opportunity for me to feel confident about my Japanese language skills and to compete in a fun environment with other students who share an equal love for Japanese language and culture,\u201d Brueger said.<\/p>\n<p>Moreau delivered a speech titled \u201cThe Power of Communication\u201d about their experiences working at Osaka Suisen Fukushikai\u2019s Work Center Hoshin, a day care center in Osaka, Japan, for adults who have intellectual disabilities. The speech focused on how staff and clients communicated and how their experience can help interactions between people in general.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I worked with them, I got to experience their efforts to communicate and understand each other firsthand,\u201d Moreau said. \u201cNo matter what mistakes I made or how troublesome it was for them to try to talk to me, staff and clients alike always made the utmost effort to include me in their conversations, events and work. They were so patient with me even when they didn’t need to be, and I quickly grew to admire everyone at the Work Center. I wanted to express this admiration in my speech, to express how amazing everyone at the center was. In some way, I wanted this speech to be some small \u2018thank you\u2019 to them.\u201d<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11941"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24062,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11941\/revisions\/24062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11941"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=11941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}