TUFS students win 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in Polish Speech Contest
June 11, 2021
The Polish Speech Contest 2021 was held on June,5, 2021, at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Japan. Three TUFS students, OKADA Aoi (School of Language and Culture Studies, Polish/Central Europe, 2nd year), KANESUGI Tomoki (School of International and Area Studies ,West Asia/North African region, / Arabic 2nd year) and FUJIWARA Yuka (School of Language and Culture Studies Polish/ Central Europe, 2nd year), placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the event was held without an audience. Although there were participants from other universities and the general public, TUFS students were able to bring home the three top awards.
Mr. Pawel MILEWSKI, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland, who was present at the contest was extremely impressed by the high level of the speeches of our students in spite of their not having been able to study abroad due to the pandemic.
Comments from the Students
OKADA Aoi (Winner)
I talked about films and their relation to me. I am extremely happy with the results. was able to meet Ambassador MILEWSKI and even had him hear my speech. I have continued my studies without being able to go to Poland so I found the comments I got from the ambassador and the judges encouraging. I want to express my gratitude to Ms. LE?NIEWSKA Karolina who practiced with me over and over again, my other Polish language teachers, and my friends who supported me in this endeavor. Lastly, I would like to thank the organizers for pulling through even under the difficulties of the current situation.
KANESUGI Tomoki (2nd Place)
Even though I major in Arabic, I became interested in Polish through the Japan-Poland Student Conference. That is’ why I chose to talk about my experience at the conference infor my speech. It’s been a year and a half since I started studying Polish and I am extremely happy to have been able to accomplish this in my final year of university life. I want to thank Ms. LE?NIEWSKA Karolina who helped me prepare thoroughly for this contest, all the teachers in the Polish department, and my family and friends, as well as the event organizers for hosting thise event despite the many restrictions. Thank you.
FUJIWARA Yuka (3rd Place)
I talked about my favorite place— my hometown of Hiroshima. I talked about the famous tourist attraction Miyajima Island and how I hope many people will visit Hiroshima once the pandemic is over. Ms. LE?NIEWSKA Karolina helped me to write my speech and also prepared me for the questions I might be asked. I was extremely nervous as this was my first time delivering a speech in Polish but I was able to do my best with the support of those around me. I want to thank my teachers for guiding me, my peers, and the event organizers for organizing this event and making sure anti-covid measures were properly taken.
Mr. Pawel MILEWSKI, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland and other people involved in the event.
