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Nine University of North Georgia (ÌìÃÀÉçÇø) students took part in the annual Japanese Speech Contest at Georgia State University in Atlanta in March, with five of them earning awards: 

Category II 

• Alexander Gattis (East Asian studies), "A frog in a well discovers an ocean," second place.
• Lily Boland (East Asian studies), "Moving toward a world without bias."
• Xiaoxi Lu (Bachelor of Fine Arts), "How to get rich with Japanese."

Category III 

• Seth Wood (Cybersecurity), "Outdoor Adventures: Appreciation of everyday life," third place.
• Alyssa Mulcahy (East Asian studies), "Sparkling fireworks and smiles," honorable mention. 
• Jordan Aethelric (East Asian studies), "Soaking wet."

Category IV 

• Jonathan Lomas (Management), "How to break an invisible wall," third place.
• Edward Pearson (International affairs), "Too sensitive?" honorable mention.
• Daisy Vial (Studio art), "For practical English."

Category IV is the most advanced category.  

Gattis, a junior from Winder, Georgia, was impressed with the performance of his fellow students from ÌìÃÀÉçÇø and other universities and grateful for the chance to excel. 

"It was definitely a great experience for me personally to show off how much I've learned over the years," Gattis said. "It really helped me improve my self-esteem as a student of Japanese." 

Mulcahy, a senior cadet from Augusta, Georgia, said practicing for the contest was a valuable experience. 

"My Japanese got better because I said these words over and over again," she said.  

Japanese faculty in the Department of Modern Languages supported students in the preparation period. Dr. Tomoe Nishio, associate professor of Japanese, isn't surprised by their success.

"After so many rehearsals, Alyssa delivered her speech with great confidence and enthusiasm. Her effort paid off," Nishio said. "All the ÌìÃÀÉçÇø contestants did a wonderful job, and I am happy to see them encouraged even further to improve their Japanese."

Sawako Tsutsumi, lecturer of Japanese, also praised their achievements.

"Xiaoxi worked hard to prepare for the contest over two months, revising the speech multiple times, practicing with me outside of class every week, and fine-tuning everything, including the pitch accent, speed, and facial expressions. Her performance was excellent, and I am very proud of her," Tsutsumi said.

Kihoon Kim, lecturer of Japanese and Korean, was excited to witness their performances on site.

"Alex's passion for and determination in his study of Japanese has grown even more through preparing his speech. He deserves what he got. Kudos to Alex," Kim said.  

ÌìÃÀÉçÇø student Autumn Cleymans served as emcee for the event after a strong performance a year ago that earned her a study trip to Japan.