Japanese Studies Program Awards

Graduation 2009

MDLL Book Prize in Japanese

Sarah Vann-The Japanese section is pleased to award its annual Book Prize to Sarah Vann. Sarah is an East Asian Studies major at Willaim & Mary who has studied Japanese through the fourth year level. She has also taken a number of classes with Professor DiNitto on Japanese cinema and on the rise of nationalism in contemporary Japanese culture. Sarah has always had an intense interest in Asia, and was inspired to study Japanese after her sister started the language at William & Mary. Last summer, Sarah did a week long homestay in the Osaka area as part of the Newport News sister city program. After graduation, Sarah plans to head to Japan to teach English.

Kinyo Prize for Excellence in Japanese

2009 Kinyo Prize Award 2009 Kinyo Prize winners

The Kinyo Prize for Excellence in Japanese was established through the generous support of Mr. Kazuo Nakamura of Kinyo Virginia, Inc. This prize is given annually to recognize the hard work and achievements of the top students at each level of our Japanese program. This year’s recipients are David Ranzini, Justine Arrington, Jennifer Dorrance, and Daniel Leong.

David Ranzini was the most active participant the First Year Japanese class. He regularly came early to class in order to practice his conversation skills with the instructors, who have enjoyed watching his language skills improve. He is a student who truly deserves the "A". His curiosity, enthusiasm toward learning, and scholastic ability are outstanding.

Justine Arrington excelled in all aspects of Second Year Japanese, doing well on attendance, assignment and daily quizzes. She is an active learner and a quality performer.

Jennifer Dorrance worked very hard in Third Year Japanese. Her Japanese skills are excellent, and she distinguished herself in her diligence in improving her skills throughout the course.

Daniel Leong was in Fourth Year
Japanese. The instructor, Kato-sensei remarked that “sometimes he gives me the impression that he is ‘more Japanese’ than the average young person in Japan these days.”His combination of linguistic prowess and cultural literacy is remarkable. He is an extremely quick learner and his scholastic ability and diligence are outstanding.