19th Boston Area Japanese Speech

On November 2, 2019, the 19th Boston Area Japanese Speech Event was hosted at Brandeis University, featuring 16 non-native Japanese speakers from eight different universities in the Boston area who delivered a 5-minute talk entirely in Japanese without any supporting materials. Among the speakers was Luis Guerra, a participant in the 2019 CEI Spark Exchange Program.

Luis led the English class and conversation in the 2019 Spark Exchange Program

His speech, titled "思いやりの紙" (Compassion for Paper), shared his experiences during his stay in Mino, highlighting the city's history and its handmade Japanese paper (Washi). Luis also spoke about how Mino's citizens have preserved the manufacturing methods of Washi for over 1300 years while still maintaining its commercial value. After his speech, he further conversed with the audience in Japanese about Mino Washi.