Sunway Student Shortlisted as Finalist in National Japanese Studies Essay Competition
We are delighted to celebrate a meaningful milestone for Japanese language learning at Sunway University.
CELS began offering Japanese as a Foreign Language in September 2025, with the first cohort of students enrolling in Basic Japanese lessons. Less than a year later, we are proud to see one of our students making her mark at the national level, reflecting the enthusiasm of our learners and the growing impact of the programme.
Congratulations to Janet Beh Jing Le, a Year 2 student from the BSc in Computer Science programme, for being shortlisted as a finalist in the 3rd Japanese Studies Essay Competition, organised by The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur (JFKL).
Janet’s abstract, “Mottainai (Lifestyle): Exploring Japanese Eco-Friendly Habits and Their Global Appeal,” explores how Japanese marathon events reflect the country’s eco-friendly values and sustainable lifestyle practices, and how these ideas can inspire and be adapted within Malaysia’s growing running culture.
This year’s competition received 70 abstract submissions from across Malaysia, making the selection process highly competitive. During the finalists’ briefing held on 21 June 2026, it was announced that only 12 undergraduate students and 6 postgraduate students were shortlisted for the final round. Janet’s achievement is therefore a remarkable one, reflecting her dedication, intellectual curiosity, and strong academic potential.
We are equally proud that Janet’s journey has been guided by Persis Rodrigues, who designed and currently teaches the Japanese language programme at Sunway University, and who encouraged Janet to participate in this competition. Persis also had the privilege of accompanying Janet to the JFKL office, where Janet delivered a one-minute presentation of her abstract as part of the finalists’ briefing session.
As a finalist, Janet will now expand her abstract into a full academic paper and represent Sunway University at the final competition on 24 October 2026 at Universiti Malaya.
Janet’s success is an encouraging reflection of what can happen when students are given opportunities to engage with language learning beyond the classroom and connect language, culture, sustainability, and academic inquiry in meaningful ways.
Congratulations once again, Janet. We are incredibly proud of your achievement and look forward to cheering you on in the finals.
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