EALC student wins Ambassador's Award in national speech contest
Mon. Apr. 8, 2024
Mr. Toluwalase Omoniyi (right) receives a national award in a speech contest. The Ambassador's Award was presented by Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi himself.
(Photo supplied)
The Department of Religion and Culture is pleased to announce that a student in the Department's East Asian Languages and Cultures Program recently received a national award in a speech contest. Dr. Jeff Newmark, Associate Professor and the Japanese Language and Cultural Coordinator in the East Asian Languages and Cultures Program, shares more about the student, Toluwalase Omoniyi, and his impressive achivement.
Mr. Omoniyi, a first-year student in Introductory Japanese, was selected to receive the prestigious Ambassador’s Award at the 35th Annual Japanese Canada Speech Contest held on March 24th. The event, hosted at the Embassy of Japan in Ottawa, was an opportunity for winners from the provincial contests to present speeches they had crafted on topics of personal importance to them. The evening before the contest, participants were welcomed by Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi at a reception, an experience Mr. Omoniyi found truly inspirational. Reflecting on this encounter, Mr. Omoniyi states that he considered it an honor to share the stage with such dedicated students and dignitaries across Canada.
Mr. Omoniyi generously acknowledged the other presenters in the competition.
Photo supplied
Despite his modesty, Mr. Omoniyi was surprised to be recognized in such a way, considering the fluency and eloquence of the other presenters. He shared that his personal mantra, "believe in yourself," guided him through the competition, and winning the Ambassador’s Award was both a gratifying and humbling experience. Akiko Fuchisawa, Mr. Omoniyi’s instructor, observed that his speech on learning Kanji (complex ideograms used in the Japanese alphabet) not only reflected his proficiency in the language but also highlighted a challenge encountered by all Japanese language learners.
Upon returning, Mr. Omoniyi enthused that he felt even more motivated to continue his Japanese language studies here at the University of Winnipeg. He hopes to participate at the Intermediate level in next year’s contest and to eventually work at a Japanese software company following his undergraduate degree.
Congratulations to Mr. Omoniyi!
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