On January 23rd (Sunday), the 28th Japan-America Society of Kobe English Recitation Contest for High School Freshmen was held via Zoom. From the 34 students who participate in the first round in November last year, Ms. H from our ESS Club was one of the finalists. This year, the speech used in the finals was "Find Your Own Donut" by Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, a speech about young people using their youth to find things that bring them joy. Thanks to her wonderful pronunciation, body language and facial expressions, Ms. H was able to win second place in what was an extremely high-level contest.

Second place is the Consul General's Award. This year the Consul General, Mr. Richard Mei Jr., was personally able to attend and judge the contest, so Ms. H was able to receive his comments directly. He said that he gave her full marks and that she had a wonderful energy. Well done, Ms. H!