Baylor Student Wins National Japanese Speech Contest at George Washington University

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WACO, Texas (Nov. 9, 2017) – Gus Holdrich, Baylor University senior from Bethesda, Maryland, won the 2017 J.LIVE Talk Japanese speech contest at George Washington University in Washington D.C. The national award is presented to the contestant who best engages in a lively, dynamic and engaging presentation using speaking skills in a style similar to TED Talks.

After being recommended by a teacher, applicants for the competition were required to fill out an online application and submit a preliminary video. Once selected as a finalist, participants submitted a PowerPoint presentation and a short abstract to accompany their final demonstrations.

“Three weeks was a very short time to come up with a good topic, make a PowerPoint presentation and create, edit and memorize a script in Japanese,” Holdrich said. “I knew the contest was a big deal, so it was hard for me to relax and write. But with encouragement from my sensei and friends, I somehow found it in me to buckle down and put in the hours and energy into making the presentation.”

During the ultimate round of the competition, finalists gave their prepared talks in Japanese and then answered questions from the judges.

“In my speech, I spoke about ‘family love’ using my own experience and three movies and TV shows as examples – ‘Tokyo Sonata,’ ‘Tokyo Story’ and ‘Modern Family,’” Holdrich said.

The finalists’ performances were judged based on the criteria of vision, engagement, language and communication. After deliberation, Holdrich was announced as the winner.

“I was shocked and elated to find out I had won,” he said. “I was not allowed to listen to the other contestants’ speeches, so I had no way of knowing how I placed.”

Holdrich will receive a cash award of $300, a scholarship to study in a six-week summer intensive Japanese language course at the Naganuma School in Japan, a round-trip airplane ticket to Tokyo and a stipend and housing subsidy of $2,700.

“Winning this award has taught me three things,” Holdirch said. “First, this award shows me I can do most anything with hard work and the help of others. Second, it reminds me that Japanese study is worth the effort and encourages me to keep pursuing my language studies. Third, since my presentation was about family, it serves as a reminder of the importance of family in my life.”

Yuko Prefume, Ed.D., senior lecturer in Japanese and the director of Baylor in Japan, mentored Holdrich throughout the process.

“I am so proud of how Gus challenged himself to participate in this national-level competition, despite his busy schedule as a senior and an Honors student,” Prefume said. “I know how much effort he had to put in to prepare for the J.LIVE Talk, and the Gold Award he received is well-deserved.”

Holdrich is a University Scholar and is studying linguistics and Japanese at Baylor. Holdrich began studying Japanese his freshman year in high school and has continued challenging himself throughout his college career. During his sophomore year, Holdrich completed a year-long study abroad program at Hosei University in Tokyo.

To learn more about Baylor’s department of modern languages and cultures, visit the MLC website.

by Brooke Battersby, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805.

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