04/23/2026
UFV French major student Cody Woelders took the stage at UBCβs Asian Centre and delivered a full speech in Japanese -- from memory.
He earned second place at the BC Japanese Speech Contest, but his story goes far beyond the award. From returning to university as an adult learner to exploring how language shapes identity and belonging, Codyβs journey highlights the power of multilingual education.
Read the blog story: https://blogs.ufv.ca/arts/2026/04/22/finding-a-voice-across-languages-cody-woelders-and-the-power-of-multilingual-connection/