J.LIVE 2020 Report
The final round of George Washington University’s sixth annual J.LIVE Talk, a national presentation contest open to college-level Japanese learners and, for the first time ever, high-school learners of Japanese in the United States, was held on Saturday, November 14, via Zoom and live streamed to YouTube.
The nine finalists were selected from 18 impressive semifinalists, who themselves were selected from amongst 47 applicants hailing from 10 states (CA, GA, MD, NC, OH, PA, TX, VA, WA, WV) and the District of Columbia.
Though usually held on the George Washington University campus, unavoidable difficulties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic caused us to hold the event entirely online. Yet this challenge offered participants in J.LIVE Talk a unique opportunity to develop and display both their presentation skills and language abilities in a real-time, online format. The finalists delivered their dynamic presentations to a distinguished panel of judges and an audience of several hundred viewers watching live on YouTube.
Winners
High School Division Winners (And Their Academic Advisors)
- Gold Award Winner: Emily Coyne, Lake Braddock Secondary School, VA (Advised by Ms. Yuki Melvin)
- Presentation Title: 家族の絆 “Family Ties”
- Silver Award Winner: Emily Ruber, Washington Japanese Heritage Center, Washington D.C. / Patriot High School, VA. (Advised by Ms. Mina Seat)
- Presentation Title: 環境に優しい洋服 “Eco-friendly Fashion”
- Bronze Award Winner: Rebekah Nix, Huntington High School, WV. (Advised by Dr. Natsuki Fukunaga Anderson)
- Presentation Title: 私の豆乳愛 “My Love of Soy Milk”
College Division Category I
- Gold Award Winner: Xueyuan Wang, Rice University (Advised by Dr. Hiromi Takayama)
- Presentation Title: 日本の環境に優しい建築 “Japan’s Green Architecture”
- Silver Award Winner: Ian Campbell, University of Cincinnati (Advised by Dr. Noriko Fujioka-Ito)
- Presentation Title: 外に行けない時は、何をすればいいんですか “What Do I Do if I Can’t Go Outside?”
- Bronze Award Winner: Tosin Olorunsola, The University of Texas, San Antonio (Advised by Dr. Makiko Fukuda)
- Presentation Title: 日本の特撮ヒーローの影響と可能性を考察 “A Case for Japan’s Tokusatsu Heroes”
College Division Category II
- Gold Award Winner: Lorenz Vargas, George Washington University (Advised by Dr. Shoko Hamano)
- Presentation Title: Shall we ダンス with コロナ? “Shall we Dance with Corona?
- Silver Award Winner: Willow Wilkes, University of Pennsylvania (Advised by Prof. Tomoko Takami)
- Presentation Title: 私の好きな日本語の言葉 “My Favorite Japanese Word”
- Bronze Award Winner: Minori Sekine, American University (Advised by Prof. Akane Shirata)
- Presentation Title: 難聴と障害 “Hearing Loss and Disability”
Congratulations to all!