Four Tulane students studying Japanese language at Tulane did exceptionally well at the Third Annual South Central Japanese Speech Contest held Saturday March 20th at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Mississippi. Jamie Castillo and Chen Sun were designated third- and first-place winners respectively in the Intermediate Division, and John Bundschuh and Tory Troeger received third-and first-place awards in the Advanced Division. Chen Sun was also the recipient of the Consul General Award for best speech among first-place winners in all categories. The students wrote, practiced, and delivered their speeches to a large audience and competed with approximately 25 other contestants from seven universities and colleges in the South Central Region (Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana). The four Tulane participants were awarded, certificates of achievement, monetary awards, as well as dictionaries and other texts related to Japanese language and culture. According to Dr. Michael Wood (Professor of Practice, Asian Studies) who oversees Japanese language instruction at Tulane, the dominance demonstrated by Tulane students at the competition speaks to the dedication of both our students and instructors to excel at Japanese language acquisition as well as cultural and critical competence that has in turn allowed them to also be competitive for positions in graduate programs and employment related to Japan. Students interested in learning Japanese and/or pursuing a coordinate major in Asian Studies are encouraged to meet with Dr. Wood.
