What a beautiful celebration it was! On April 25, faculty members and students from all levels of the Japanese Language Program gathered at the Language Commons to honor the year's outstanding achievements. 🎉
The event kicked off with a spotlight on all language students, especially the graduating class of 2025, for their dedication to Japanese studies and congratulating them for successfully concluding their time at UVA. 🎓✨ Following this, we held an induction ceremony to honor eight graduating students who joined the Japanese National Honor Society, issued by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese. This prestigious recognition is awarded to students who demonstrate a high level of achievement, with an overall GPA of 3.5 in JAPN courses taken over five semesters and an overall GPA of 3.0 or above in all other courses. 🌟 Kawai-sensei, the Japanese Program Director, announced the honors and presented certificates and graduation cords to each inductee. Each graduating student shared their inspiring, heartwarming reflections and were celebrated by their peers from lower-level Japanese courses, amidst warm congratulations. This year's honorees of the JNHS are Chai Zhang, Danner Rebhun, Ryan Broskie, Sophie Maya Hasebe Maloney, Justin Zhang, Charles Campbell, Emily Ailln Wu, and Rudi Wu. 🎊
The exciting vibe of the celebration continued. This time, Sato-sensei, who is the director of the National Japanese Exam (NJE) administered by AATJ, announced this year’s awardees: Ashton Bryan, who took Level 3, and Angela Lu, Level 2 of the exam, receiving the Gold Award, the highest award of the exam. 🏅 The National Japanese Exam measures proficiency in the Japanese language.
Lastly but not least, Jungtaek Hon, who was awarded for the first place at the 2025 J-Live Talk, a national TED-style Japanese speech contest held at George Washington University last November, and Apel Upadhyaya, a selected delegate for the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Summer Institute administered by the Japanese Embassy, both took center stage. Their awards include funding to pursue Japanese Studies in Japan this summer. 🇯🇵🌸
For the faculty members, it was the proudest moment to witness the students' dedication, hard work, and academic excellence together. Even more heartwarming was seeing how these achievements inspired and guided the next group of students. Thanks to the generous support from our home Department of East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and the College Council, the room was filled with stories and laughter, adding flavor to the delicious sushi. 🍣🎉
Congratulations to all Japanese students and the 2025 graduating class! 🎓🎊
