EALC student takes first place in competition
Thu. Mar. 5, 2015
One of our students, Samantha (Sam) Cahatol, has won the introductory level* of the 27th Annual Manitoba Japanese Speech Contest that was held on Friday, March 6, 2015 at the University of Manitoba. The title of Cahatol’s speech was “What Is My Nationality?” and she spoke in Japanese on the intricacies of self-identification as a Canadian/Filipino.
According to Dr. Jeffrey Newmark, Program Coordinator for the East Asian Languages and Cultures Program, the first place winners in each category (intro, intermediate, and advanced) receive free airfare and accommodations to compete in the Canada Japanese Language Speech Contest, which this year will be held in Calgary on March 28th.
Sam Cahatol in her own words: At first, when my Japanese professor told us about the speech contest, I wasn't entirely sure if I should give it a try since this is my first year actually learning the language. However, after hearing about the experiences of people who competed in the beginner's category I gathered up the courage to write my own speech. The subject of my speech, self identity, is very important to me so I'm grateful that many of my friends, family, and teachers were able to help and support me as I prepared for the contest. I hope to make them proud as I represent them and the University of Winnipeg in the nationals.
*The introductory category is intended for those who have studied up to one year of Japanese at the university level.