UF Students Display Language Skills at ‘J.Live'

Sumrestar Beauchamp and Jon Boyer recently competed in the final round of the Japanese speaking contest “J.Live Talk 2016” at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Beauchamp, a Japanese and TESOL double major and a finalist in the competition, won the Silver Prize Certificate and $200. Boyer, majoring in Japanese and computer science, attended the event as an alternate finalist. Both students submitted short videos for the preliminary round (Sept. 1-Oct.1), and were invited to J.Live on November 13.
J.Live (Japanese Learning Inspired Vision and Engagement) Talk is designed to allow speakers to showcase their proficiency in Japanese, polish their public speaking skills, share ideas and connect with the Japanese-affiliated community. Unlike traditional speech contests, J.Live evaluates the dynamism, vision and level of engagement of each participant’s presentation. Participants are encouraged to add innovations that enhance their talks in a manner similar to TED talks.
Beauchamp plans to become an English teacher in Japan and eventually create Japanese comics, known as manga. The sophomore also placed second in a Japanese speech contest sponsored by the Japan-American Society of Central Ohio (JASCO) last spring.

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