Student takes first at Japanese speech contest

On March 5, University of North Georgia (UNG) student Susana Olivo Sandoval was named the first-place winner in category 3 at the annual Georgia Japanese Speech Contest held virtually. Her division was for students with N3-level proficiency of Japanese Language Proficiency Test, corresponding to 3000-level Japanese courses at UNG.

The competition is made up of four categories, one for high school students and three for college students in varying levels of Japanese. All students were required to present an original Japanese speech with the length determined by each category. Sandoval's speech entitled "Opportunities to Get Closer to Your Dreams" was four minutes long. Jonathan Lomas took third place in category 3, with Duncan Ray earning a special award.

In category 2, Adrian Abreu took third and Uriel Leon brought home a special award.

"I am proud of our students' achievements. Not only does it help our programs to make our presence felt in the Georgia community of Japanese learning and teaching. It also encourages UNG students learning Japanese to engage in more opportunities both inside and outside campus," Dr. Tomoe Nishio, associate professor of Japanese, said.