Speech #1

Nancy Vogler

COM 345       

 

Students, administrators and respected citizens of Kyoto, Japan, Welcome!  My name is Nancy Vogler and I am here today to speak on behalf of the students of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.  Today we are here to celebrate a new beginning.  Today, on this campus, Japanese and American people alike are working together to bridge cultural boundaries.  When Wilmington College was founded in 1947, the coming together of such diverse cultures would have been unheard of.  I am thankful today, that 56 years later, I have the privilege of welcoming so many distinguished citizens, and students of Kyoto University.  I can only hope that we as students of both Kyoto University and UNCW take advantage of every opportunity to make this experience the best it can possibly be.        

 

Having studied abroad myself, in a country where both the language and the way of life were very new and different, I know what you students of Kyoto University are feeling.  You may be overwhelmed, nervous and confused.  However, I hope you are also excited and enthusiastic about this upcoming adventure. 

 

The students of UNCW are here to orient you with the pace of life, both here at UNCW and in Wilmington as a whole.  Use us as your guides.  UNCW has a student union with many eating establishments and a cozy living room where students can congregate.  This is also the meeting place of the nearly 150 student organizations on campus.  Drop by the International Office or ask a friend in class, and they can point you in the right direction to getting involved on campus.

 

While UNCW has only half the student population and a third of the colleges as Kyoto University, please don’t think of us as inadequate.  UNCW has consistently been ranked among the best public universities in the nation, especially it’s marine biology program, which is currently among the best in the world.  UNCW also has a fully accredited Nursing School, a top-notch School of Education, and a growing film studies program, thanks to the local Screen Gems Studios, the largest motion picture facility in the eastern United States.  As administrators and faculty at one of the top universities in Japan, you can rest assured knowing that you are sending your students to one of the most coveted schools in the southern United States.

 

As citizens of Kyoto, Japan, you may be asking yourself what Wilmington has to offer you.  Wilmington has the services and culture of a bustling city, while Wrightsville Beach, just a short drive from campus, maintains the quiet, laid-back atmosphere of a small North Carolina beach town.  One can travel downtown and shop, eat, or walk along the banks of the Cape Fear River.  Take a trip to the beach and you can enjoy an ice cream cone or relax along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.  Both places also come alive at night.  Wilmington’s moderate climate allows for people to get out and about virtually all year round. 

 

In closing, I hope you will find UNCW and Wilmington rewarding places where you meet people and learn lessons that you will take with you for the rest of your life.  I know I speak for the entire UNCW community when I say that we are excited to have this opportunity to take part in this historic Student Exchange Program.  The United States and Japan have worked nationally to build bridges to better foreign relations.  I am thrilled to be able to locally, walk across that bridge with the students of Kyoto University.