Student Spotlight: Anthea Xiao

By: Staff Writer Deeksha Raina

Junior Anthea Xiao recently participated in the 42^nd Annual Japanese Speech Contest, placing first in the middle to high school student division and winning the Attack on Titan manga series and a trophy. The Speech contest was co-hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco and Japanese American Association of Northern California.

 

The Smoke Signal: Can you tell us about the competition?

Anthea Xiao: It was a Japanese essay and speech competition for middle schoolers to college students and the essay topic was open; you could write about anything that inspired you. It had to be around four to seven minutes long when spoken and written in Japanese.

 

SS: How did you find out about the competition?

AX: It was announced in our class, and at first I didn’t really want to do it because I was busy. My Japanese teacher sent me an email asking me to participate, so then I decided I would do it.

 

SS: What was your speech about?

AX: I wrote about my memories from the past and how they shaped my character. I wrote about three main memories. The first memory I wrote about was my first English test, which I got a really bad score on, after I had just moved here, to Fremont, from Macau. Then I wrote about the death of my cat, and how I buried it. Third, I wrote about an ice cream stand near my old house in Macau that I hadn’t gone to in a long time. Last summer, I went back to visit and ate that ice cream which forms the last sentence of my essay. It said, “I was not eating ice cream; I was tasting my memories.”

 

SS: Did you have to read your essay out loud to judges or was it just submitted?

AX: You have to perform it–with gestures and expressions. I was sixth in line so I didn’t have to wait too long, but it was still nerve wrecking. I was more nervous my first year, but this is my second year so it was okay. Definitely not as difficult as it was my first year.

 

SS: So this is your second time in the same competition?

AX: Well, I participated in a different Japanese speech competition in my freshmen year, but this one is my second competition overall.

 

SS: Are you planning on participating in any more competitions?

AX: Yes, there’s one more Japanese competition this February and I’m planning on doing more next year.