The 3rd Xavier Cup Japanese Speech Competition Held on 4th December - Archived videos have been added

2022年03月30日

The 3rd "Xavier Cup" Japanese speech competition for non-Japanese speaking student was held online on 4th December.

This competition is not only within Sophia but open to other universities with a cause for supporting all students from abroad and encouraging intercultural activities across universities and countries. This year, ten students from six universities and six countries, one of whom joined from Shanghai, gave speech in this final session on the subject of either "My 'New- Normal' Found during the Pandemic", or "Ten Years from Now: The Person I Aspire to Be".

For nearly two years, travelling abroad has been difficult; lectures are given online; studying in Japan has not been the way one had imagined before. Still, it was an opportunity for students to reflect upon themselves and every speech revealed that the speaker's aim and ambitions do not falter.

With the high quality of each speech, judging was not easy, it was concluded with winners below. Prizes included kind gift from Rikkyo University.

1st Place: Muftazar Ilham Yudhistira (Indonesia, Kansai University of International Studies)
2nd Place: Tong Bingze (People's Republic of China, Rikkyo University
3rd Place: Sun Zexin (People's Republic of China, Sophia University)
Special Jury Award: グエン　ティ　キム　ガン（Viet Nam, Sanno University）
Tandoor Award: Zhu Xuannan (U. S. A., Sophia University)
Participation Award: All other speakers

This year's juries were Mr Masao Torii (President of Sophia Alumni Association), Prof. Atsuko Nagai (Vice President, Sophia University), Ms. Suvendrini Kakuchi (President, The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan), Ms Ayano Kosaka (Vice President, Rikkyo Alumni Association; President, Hibiya Matsumoto-ro), Mr Chander Mehra (Owner, Indian Restaurant Tandoor).

Messages were also given from a judge last year, Mr Hitoshi Ohno, former member of Japan Men's National Rugby Team, and Mr Sei An, who joined in the past speech contest as a foreign student at Sophia.

We sincerely wish all the speakers continue to work on and be successful worldwide. We keep supporting students from abroad and hope to meet again in Yotsuya next year.

Video of the contest is now available.
Please take a look at the speeches that convey the aspirations of the international students.

(Sayoko Tasumi)

Click here for YouTube
https://youtu.be/BsJPnpvXMPo