On Saturday, March 10, 2018, JASH and the Consulate-General of Japan in Houston presented the 29th Annual Texas State Japanese Language Speech Competition.
48 participants - ranging from middle school students and life-long Japanese learners - gathered at Rice University to demonstrate their Japanese language skills.
The contest showcased students reciting poetry and presenting original speeches and, moreover, featured a creative display of student determination, devotion, and tenacity as language learners.
Special recognition was given to the top three contestants in each competition division. The top two contestants from the Aurora Division will advance to Nationals.
Congratulations to the following students:
POETRY
1st Mark ONCHENGCO Berkner High School (Dallas) 9th
2nd Simone LIM Bellaire High School (Houston) 10th
3rd Markschanne ESPERE Winston Churchill High School (San Antonio) 12th
HAIKU
1st Yinou CHEN Bellaire High School (Houston) 11th
2nd Brennan MOHRER Johnson High School (San Antonio) 11th
3rd Tori WENDELL Winston Churchill High School (San Antonio) 10th
FREE SPEECH WITH TEXT
1st Katera SCOTT Skyline High School (Dallas) 12th My Dream Becoming a Reality
2nd Hang QUANG Berkner High School (Dallas) 11th Vietnam after Two Years
3rd Caitlin RINEHART Winston Churchill High School (San Antonio) 11th Be Aware of Mental Health
FREE SPEECH AURORA
*1st Heewon HUH Newman Smith High School (Dallas) 12th The True Happiness
*2nd Jiaqi ZHU Bellaire High School (Houston) 12th Don't Stop Imitating Solitary Gourmet
3rd Andrea LOPEZ Winston Churchill High School (San Antonio) 12th The Reason for Learning a New Language
*1st and 2nd place winners will go on to compete in the National Aurora Japanese Language Speech Competition in Los Angeles, CA.
FREE SPEECH - COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY
1st Frenci NGUYEN The University of North Texas (Denton) Senior A Light in the Darkness
2nd Alex BOGAEV Texas A&M University (College Station) Junior The Technical Collaboration between Japan and America for the Advancement of Medicine
3rd Crystal SALINAS University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio) Senior Dream for the Future
FREE SPEECH - OPEN
1st Bowen LIU Texas A&M University (College Station) Junior 'Speaking Tatemae' by Hone
2nd Marie ROMANO The Beauty of Matcha
3rd Mario DEPAVIA William P. Clements High School (Houston) 10th Keeping Promises
SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE WHO SUPPORT MADE THE CONTEST POSSIBLE:
· The Consulate General of Japan in Houston
· Rice University Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication
· Japan Foundation
· Shintech-Kanagawa Fund
· Japanese Teachers Association of Texas
· Japan Business Association of Houston
· Japanese Association of Greater Houston
· Texoma JET Alumi Association
· Seiwa Market Japanese Grocery
OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF TEXAS STATE JAPANESE LANGUAGE SPEECH CONTEST
