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4th Annual LUJ & BGU Presentation Contest Attracts Large Crowd
On October 22, Lakeland University Japan and Bunkyo Gakuin University held their 4th annual Presentation Contest. As is the case each year, LUJ sends five students over to BGU’s main auditorium, where they face off against five BGU students. Four judges—two from each college—decide the winners, with the audience also getting a chance to vote for their favorite.
This year, more than any other, LUJ was well-represented in the audience. Cheering on the presenters were about 60 students who made their way from LUJ’s campus building in Ryogoku to BGU. The theme of the contest, "A Problem to Overcome," called for contestants to write, edit, revise, practice, and perform a 4-5-minute speech. Some students used PPT slides to communicate their message while others stood on stage in front of their title slide, speaking directly to an audience of over 200 people.
Winner, “Best Time Management.”
"Each time Sisyphus had to go up the hill and down, his muscles got stronger. His mind became less sad…actually, he became smarter. Even though he could not control the fall back down the hill, he could control the trip back up." - Daisei Hontake
Runner-Up Winner Overall.
"We are blinded by fake AI videos, tricked into believing opinions that aren’t true. We are constantly being fooled by our own algorithms, all so they can keep our attention. Yes, attention. That is all we are to the world now. Can I have your attention? Can I have your focus? Can I have your eyes, your mind, your thoughts, your feelings…when will it end?" - Areeba Kanwal
Winner, “Most Beautiful Message.”
"It was scary being in a school outside of Japan. Still, I tried to make friends with local residents because most of the kids at the school spoke Japanese. But whenever I played basketball at the park, I made friends and we would speak to each other in English." - Alex Hirakawa
Winner, "Great Presentation Skills Award."
"That is what I wanted to tell you. It’s okay to be nervous. It’s okay to not be in your comfort zone. It’s okay to try new things. Maybe you don’t have to go to another country, but maybe try to talk to someone new, make a new friend, join a club." - Rio Ogawa
Winner, "Special LUJ Award."
"Finally, there’s love. Love can give you a sense of security and self-acceptance. Loving someone and being loved by someone fulfills loneliness and makes you feel safe." - Tojiro Zushi
The judges had a tough time choosing the winner, but in the end Bunkyo Gakuin's Stella Severini was declared winner of the top prize. Ms. Severini's topic, "Digital Detox," was centered on the idea of taking a complete break from smartphones for a period of time so that the world around us can feel more real and authentic.
Congratulations to all ten of the contestants. If you are an enrolled LUJ or BGU student and want to participate in next year's contest, talk to your professor and they will point you in the right direction.
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