Japanese Program Update

Japanese Speech Contest 

Mahagi LaCure, Keiko Eda, Amy Culp, and Megumu Burress (Japanese lecturers) organized and led the 16th Annual UT Japanese Speech Contest at the International House on April 12, 2023. The contest opened with Japanese songs sung by various class sections. Following their performances, a total of 16 representatives from the first- to third-year Japanese courses gave their speeches and PowerPoint presentations.

The first-year Japanese students shared stories about people and things they felt were special in their lives. The first-prize winner, Amira Fernandez, talked about her three best friends since childhood, all of whom currently live in different parts of the world. The second-prize winner, Chantel Maravilla, brought chuckles from the audience as she comically described her everyday life with Remi, her stuffed dinosaur. Speeches from the second-year students focused on stories about their lives at UT and dreams about their future. Om Patel was awarded first place for his speech discussing his plans to become a medical doctor and researcher. The runner-up, Tyler Catuncan, has recently been enjoying learning Japanese, which is his minor, so much that he is now reconsidering his major for his future. The third-year students gave PowerPoint presentations with content that ranged from hobbies such as rock-climbing to future career goals. Alea Barton took first place for her presentation on the damaging effects of lawns on the environment. 

At the end of the event, everyone was invited to try their hand at making their own Onigiri (rice balls), with tuna salad filling. The event was a great success with a large turnout, and we look forward to next year!

Student Spotlight

Daniel Maynard is a senior at UT majoring in Asian Studies, with a concentration on Japan and a minor in Japanese language. Daniel works with the Vols Japanese Culture Association as their public relations officer and helps with many events. He is also a peer mentor for 100- and 200-level Japanese students and hosts weekly review sessions for them. After graduation in May 2023, Daniel will be moving to Japan to work as an English teacher with the JET Program, a highly selective teaching exchange program managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Japanese government.

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