The University of Pittsburgh’s Asian Studies Center, in collaboration with Pitt’s Japanese Speaking Society and the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania, have selected the winners of the annual High School Japanese Speech Contest, held March 6 at the William Pitt Union. More than 75 students from eight area high schools participated. Special guests were Yuko Suzuki, consul from the Consulate General of Japan in New York, and Siddharth Chandra, director of Pitt’s Asian Studies Center and associate professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Takako Saches displays the contest t-shirt.

Students competed on four different levels, including a poster session for first-year students of Japanese and three levels of speeches—corresponding to the number of years of language study.

Lindsay Milford (pictured right) of Allegheny Clarion High School won the poster session portion of the contest, under the instruction of Dixie Lipnichan.

Cody Magaro (pictured left), a Norwin High School student, won first place in the level three/four category of the High School Japanese Speech Contest. Magaro, whose teacher is Hiroko Maekawa, also received the Consulate Award, which is presented to the student deemed best overall in the three levels of speeches.

Robert Coury III, an Upper St. Clair High School student under the instruction of Junko Kapples, won first place in the level-two category.

Jennifer Smith, a Butler High School student under the instruction of Masami Schaper, won first place in the level-one category.

First place winners received trophies for their respective schools.

Sponsors of the event included Westinghouse, Sumitomo Corporation of America, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Japan Iron and Steel Federation and Mitsubishi Endowments at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Consulate-General of Japan in New York.

The Asian Studies Center is part of the University Center for International Studies.

Judges included faculty from Pitt’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures and Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Modern Languages.

Judges included faculty from Pitt’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures and Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Modern Languages.

Click here for more photos from the event.

To read Japan Info e-newsletter article about this event, click here. The newsletter is published by the Japan Information Center within the Consulate.