The Japanese Language Program held an Autumn Festival (秋祭り) for students on Friday, October 25^th, 2024, at the Learning Services Building Courtyard. Students enjoyed a lively event filled with various Japanese activities, including karaoke, cosplay, a photo booth, and more. Traditional Japanese games, like tug-of-war (綱引き), added to the excitement. The event was supported by the Center for East Asian Studies and the Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI).

On September 26^th, the Korean studies faculty successfully wrapped up the final cook-off event of the “Campus Kimchi Masters” scholarship contest. This month-long event was a special collaboration between the Department of East Asian Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies and the Korea Agro-Fisheries Food & Trade Corporation (aT Center Los Angeles). For this special collaboration to promote K-Food and K-Culture globally, aT Center Los Angeles awarded scholarships totaling $3,000 to the winners of the contest.

In the weeks leading up to the main event, the University of Arizona students, staff, and faculty entered recipes featuring Korean kimchi—ranging from familiar to reimagined dishes—for a chance to be selected as a finalist to compete in the cook off at the main campus event.

This unique, hands-on cross-cultural exploration of K-Culture was covered by a local journalist in a feature story for the Tucson Sentinel.

The eight finalists were:

Arianne Law – Junior, Operations and Supply Chain Management & East Asian Studies

Ariel Heinrich – Junior, Microbiology, with Minors in East Asian Studies & Molecular and Cellular Biology

Hyunjin Yang – Junior, Exchange Student from Seoul National University, Sociology

Lily Nicole Jones – Junior, East Asian Studies & Religious Studies

Meagan Rausch – Freshman, Political Science & East Asian Studies

Seina Okamoto – Junior, International Student from Japan, Linguistics 

Shu-Chien Yang – Graduate Student, East Asian Studies

Syriana Coronado – Freshman, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science & Molecular and Cellular Biology

The main event of September 26^th took place in Bear Down Gym and featured special talks by Dr. Wooje Lee from the World Institute of Kimchi, James Beard Award semifinalist Chef Ji Hye Kim, and Chef Richard Park—as well as performances from U of A’s very own K-Pop dance team, UnderSkore.

During the highlight of the event—the cook off—the eight finalists whipped up their best kimchi recipes for a panel of judges that included Min Ho Kim, President of aT Center Los Angeles, our event speakers, Dr. Lee, Chef Kim, and Chef Park, and EAS professors Sojung Chun, Sandra Park, Jieun Ryu, Joshua Schlachet, and Sunyoung Yang.

The third-place scholarship of $500 went to Arianne Law. The second-place scholarship of $1,000 went to Syriana Coronado. And the first-place scholarship of $1,500 went to Lily Jones.

Congratulations, Campus Kimchi Masters!

The Chinese Language Program hosted the 2024 Chinese Talent Show on September 20^th to celebrate the Moon Festival. 12 groups of students at all levels, from CHN 101 to CHN 415, competed in the event. Elizabeth Mei Badowski, from CHN 301, and MiLee Vogel, from CHN 202, served as emcees. The contestants showcased a wide range of talents, including artwork, calligraphy, singing, dancing, tai-chi, flute, piano and trumpet. In addition, two graduate students Huafan Su and Leyin Xu, performed hit songs in China as part of the celebration. About 90 students, their families, and friends attended the event. 50 mooncakes were given out as prizes to raffle winners. The event was sponsored by the Department of East Asian Studies and the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Los Angeles.

Winners

First Place:

• Amanda Akyol

Second Place:

• Jemma Jasso
• Izabell Molina
• Cole Nagoda
• Abby Reich           

Third Place:

• Trinity Blackburn
• Ava Jefferson
• Shalan Wu

Participation:

• Ronnie Beason
• Jacquiline Boe
• Atticus King
• Colin Koprowski
• Heather Lambeth
• Grace Leav
• MiLee Vogel

Congratulations to all the winners and participants!

Every year, The Department of East Asian Studies hosts an award ceremony to acknowledge the EAS students for their exceptional performance and hard work during the academic year. On May 3^rd, 2024, EAS handed out five awards:

1. The Blair Prize in Japanese Studies: The Blair Prize in Japanese Studies, started in 2007, is named after Barbara Bowman Blair (1925-2005). The Blair Prize was established both to honor Barbara Blair, and the academic accomplishments of U of A students, but also in the hope that the recipients will, in their own individual ways, contribute in the future to cross-cultural understanding, particularly between the nations of Japan and the United States.
2. The Hucker Founders Award: The Hucker Founders Award is named after Professor Charles O. Hucker, who came to the University of Arizona in 1956 and established the Oriental Studies Department, the predecessor of the University of Arizona’s current East Asian Studies Department and Near Eastern Studies departments. This award has been given annually since 1997 to honor a student for academic achievement in the field of Chinese.
3. The Center for East Asian Studies Graduating Senior Award: The Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) has established this award to honor an outstanding graduating senior in East Asian Studies, especially those who have demonstrated achievement in our Korea Studies program.
4. The TECO Chinese Achievement Award: Sponsored by the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), this award recognizes the highest-achieving student in each level of EAS’s Chinese language classes.
5. The Center for Buddhist Studies - Khyentse Foundation Student Award: The Khyentse Foundation Student Award was set in 2018 at the Center for Buddhist Studies to encourage the University of Arizona graduate and undergraduate students to study Buddhism and its related subjects. Since 2001, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and a team of volunteers have been committed to providing funding for individuals and organizations seeking to make the dharma available to the world.

The following EAS students have been selected as winners of each award:

The Blair Prize in Japanese Studies

Alana Komatsu

Honorable Mention: Sam Gissler

The Hucker Founders Award

Alex Hupp

Honorable Mention: Liz Davis and Alexis Hsu

The CEAS Graduating Senior Award

Zaina Price

Honorable Mention: Faith Ash

The TECO Chinese Achievement Award

Emily Yicha Shaver, CHN 101
Ashlea Hume, CHN 102
Johnny Lamm, CHN 201
Annabelle Kara Jonatan, CHN 202
Colin Joseph Koprowski, CHN 302
Natalie Hsu, CHN 417

The Khyentse Foundation Student Award

Ven. Changzhong “Shin” Lee

Congratulations to the award winners!

The 31^st Arizona Japanese Speech Contest was held at Northern Arizona University on April 20^th and Neryanne Jinon, our JPN 202 student, received first place in her category!

There were 30 participants altogether from high schools, community colleges and universities statewide and three students from UArizona participated in the contest.

This year's theme was “Healthy Living” and Neryanne’s speech was titled “Good Form.” She shared heartfelt advice to keep “good form” in our minds when we face challenges and stress in life.

Congratulations to Neryanne and all the participants for their outstanding efforts!

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