Student places in National Language Competition

MURRAY, Ky. – Ashley Pizzolato, a senior Japanese major and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) minor from Donaldson, Arkansas, recently won the Silver Award in the College Division II category of Japanese Learning Inspired Vision and Engagement (J.LIVE) Talk, a national Japanese language speech competition. 

J.LIVE Talk aims to provide a platform for graduate and undergraduate students of institutions of higher education to showcase their proficiency in Japanese, polish their public speaking skills, share ideas from their unique perspectives and connect with the larger Japanese-affiliated community. Unlike a traditional speech contest, J.LIVE Talk evaluates the dynamism, vision and level of engagement of each participant’s presentation, which can include audio-visual materials, audience interaction and other innovations that enhance the participant’s talk in a manner similar to the TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) talks. 

The competition was held in November at George Washington University in Washington D.C. Pizzolato competed against students from the University of Maryland, George Washington University, Virginia Tech and the College of William and Mary, among other universities. 

Pizzolato submitted her application to the competition as a part of an assignment in Dr. Akane Shirata’s class. 

Pizzolato went through both a preliminary and semi-final round via video, then was notified of her selection as a finalist. Yoko Hatakeyama, senior lecturer in Japanese at Murray State, helped Pizzolato prepare. 

“When I first heard that I was accepted into the final round, I was so surprised,” said Pizzolato. “I wasn’t really sure where to start preparing, but I emailed Dr. Shirata and professor Hatakeyama about the news, and they were both excited to mentor me along the way.”

Shirata helped Pizzolato proofread her script and organize it in a way that best conveyed her message, and Hatakeyama helped her practice giving her speech in front of people.

“Professor Hatakeyama and I met every day for an hour for about 2 weeks,” said Pizzolato. “I had to memorize a six-minute speech and put together a presentation in addition to answering practice questions, and although it was intense, it was honestly a lot of fun.”

Pizzolato and Hatakeyama met Shirata in Washington D.C. for the competition. Pizzolato says the competition was nerve-wracking but exciting, and she was impressed by the other competitors’ language abilities. 

“Everyone had such wonderful ideas and their Japanese language ability was outstanding – I mostly was in awe that I was able to perform equally with my competitors,” said Pizzolato. “Professor Hatakeyama and Dr. Shirata put so much into the Japanese program at Murray State that I was just so excited to represent the Department of Global Languages and Theatre Arts and show everyone how amazing and skilled they are as educators and mentors. After all, without them, the competition wouldn’t have been possible!”

After she graduates in May 2023, Pizzolato plans to enter the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program and teach English in Japan for a few years. Her long-term goal is to join an entertainment company and enter the field of translation. In the meantime, she’s enjoying the positive results of her hard work for the competition.

“When I was awarded with silver in my category, I was shocked, but also overjoyed,” said Pizzolato. “I had really given this competition my all, and having my effort and ability recognized in such a way was like a dream. The whole experience was absolutely amazing and unforgettable.”

For more information on the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at Murray State University please visit murraystate.edu/CHFA.