Students
Â黨´«Ă˝Enactus wows on the national stage with pitch competition win and top-four team finish
May 21, 2021
Okanagan College Enactus students won first place in the brand-new Intuit Sustainability Pitch Competition category at the Enactus Canada National Exposition, making them the first post-secondary team to win this award and marking them as the team to beat in years ahead. Enactus Â黨´«Ă˝was recognized as one of the top four teams in the country after an impressive finish at the national finals on the strength of three projects: FruitSnaps, CanSave and Rising. The winning pitch and an impressive second runner-up finish for the FruitSnaps...
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Â黨´«Ă˝grad honoured for contributions to inclusion, democracy and reconciliation
May 20, 2021
When Saige Girouard arrived at Okanagan College to have her photo taken during a grad experience event this week, she took home much more than a snapshot. She left with provincial recognition of her outstanding efforts to bring people together. Girouard, a Bachelor of Business Administration student, became the first Â黨´«Ă˝student to ever receive the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Inclusion, Democracy and Reconciliation. The Lieutenant Governor’s Medal has been a symbol of academic excellence since 1979. In 2019, eligibility for the...
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Animation Industry Night paints picture of Â黨´«Ă˝student success
May 14, 2021
Local animation studios had the opportunity to canvas the next generation of talent from Okanagan College’s Animation Diploma program at the third-annual Industry Night, which showcased students’ artwork, demo reels and professional portfolios. On May 13, Okanagan College opened its doors – albeit virtually – for the popular art-and-network event which brought together industry partners, community, students, faculty, mentors and supporters in celebration of the program’s 2021 graduating class and first-year students who have now cr...
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Stewart family invests in health at Okanagan College
April 16, 2021
The Stewart family is donating $50,000 to support the education of health care professionals at Â黨´«Ă˝ The gift will recognize Rosemary and Richard “Dick” Stewart. Dick, a founder of Quails’ Gate Estate Winery and Kelowna City Councillor, passed away nearly one year ago at the age of 94. According to his son Ben Stewart, MLA for Kelowna West, the gift reflects his father’s passion for education. “My dad believed education creates opportunities for people to lead independent and fulfilling lives,” says Ben. “He saw educa...
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Students invest in Health Sciences Centre
April 7, 2021
It’s an investment in future students and community health, and one the Okanagan College Students’ Union (OCSU) says is even more important in light of the ongoing pandemic. OCSU is donating $15,000 to the Okanagan College Foundation’s Our Students, Your Health campaign to complete construction of a new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. “It’s always good to invest in education, but the pandemic has really brought to the forefront how important nurses and other health care providers are," says Joseph Welton, OCSU board ...
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Long Night long on benefits for Okanagan College students
April 1, 2021
If there is power in numbers when fighting procrastination, then Okanagan College was fully plugged in last week. Long Night Against Procrastination, held Thursday March 25th, was organized by Penticton Librarian Eva Gavaris, in concert with several Okanagan College instructors and staff members who volunteered their time to slay the beast of procrastination. More than 230 students registered for access, and at the peak, Gavaris said there were approximately 100 students in a variety of break-out rooms. “Over the past year,...
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College Pastry Arts students craft creative Easter confections
April 1, 2021
While no official sightings of the Easter Bunny have been reported on campus, Okanagan College’s Pastry Arts students hopped into action this week, serving up smiles ahead of the holiday. Students pulled out all the stops to prepare an eggs-travaganza of chocolate eggs, bunnies, bon bons, sponge candy and other confections for the Â黨´«Ă˝community. “The students outdid themselves once again,” notes Culinary and Pastry Arts Manager Cari Jahns. “When everyone saw the tables of treats assembled, the array of different it...
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Â黨´«Ă˝Indigenous Community Support Worker grad reflects on making a difference
March 31, 2021
Upcoming info sessions spotlight learning and career opportunities for studentsShannon Peltier was inspired to train to provide support to Indigenous youth and families by her Nohkom (grandmother). She found that opportunity through the Indigenous Community Support Worker Certificate program at Â黨´«Ă˝The Indigenous Community Support Worker (ACSW) program is just one of the College's Continuing Studies certificate programs on display during info sessions this spring. The virtual sessions are designed to provide students wi...
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Knuever Legacy Fund makes major investment in Vernon students
March 30, 2021
A new awards fund at Okanagan College will more than double the value of annual support available for students attending the Vernon campus. Kurt and Jutta Knuever have donated $210,000 to create the K&J Knuever Legacy Awards, which will provide up to $70,000 annually in tuition and living support to students entering trades programs or the Health Care Assistant program over the next three years. The awards reflect the value the Knuever family place on education, especially hands-on skills training that can add value to an indi...
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Â黨´«Ă˝business students take trio of first-place finishes at Enactus Western Canada Regionals
March 30, 2021
Okanagan College business students enjoyed a fruitful victory at the Enactus Western Canada Regionals, earning three first-place finishes and ensuring their ticket to the National Competition in May. The Regional competition took place last week in a virtual format with teams from a multitude of post-secondary institutions submitting their student-created and student-run initiatives that seek to positively impact communities in a social, economic or environmental way. The award-winning Â黨´«Ă˝Enactus initiative FruitSnaps was entered...
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Going back to school in COVID-times: How Â黨´«Ă˝supports mature students in our communities
March 29, 2021
In my years as a post-secondary administrator, I’ve had a front row seat to innumerable examples of how education truly does transforms lives, which in turn benefits and transforms our communities. As Okanagan College’s Regional Dean for the Shuswap-Revelstoke, by far some of the most inspiring and remarkable stories I’ve been fortunate to witness over the years have been those of our mature students. Working parents, who have summoned the courage and the will to go back into the classroom, level up their skills, maybe make a 180-...
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Long connection inspires major gift by Friesen family
March 22, 2021
A decades-long connection to Okanagan College and a desire to give back to community is inspiring a $150,000 donation by the Friesen family to the Okanagan College Foundation. The family gift will support the Our Students, Your Health campaign to complete and equip the College’s new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. The gift reflects a strong connection to the College. Dianne Friesen worked at Okanagan College in the mid-1970s. In 1984, her husband Rod started Voyager RV and their son Jason who is running the business ...
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Meet Ayden Clark, Business Administration student
March 19, 2021
Q: What’s your hometown? A: Salmon Arm, I’ve lived here for most of my life. Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: Honestly it was a number of different things that had me deciding on Â黨´«Ă˝ The biggest contributor was the location, the Shuswap is a beautiful area and I have family here in Salmon Arm. Q: How did you choose your program? A: Nearing the completion of high school, I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to do afterwards. In the end I de...
Read more...Nighttime noshing and homework help: Â黨´«Ă˝students gear up for Long Night Against Procrastination
March 18, 2021
The power of pizza among peers is greater than procrastination. With end-of-term deadlines in sight, organizers of the popular Okanagan College Long Night Against Procrastination are ready to offer up snacks, prizes and solidarity to students facing winter term finals. Long Night Against Procrastination started at the Penticton campus in 2015, with students converging on campus for late-night cram sessions with help from faculty, librarians and Success Centre coordinators. The annual event helped students meet end-of-term deadli...
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Meet Janet McLeish, Criminal and Social Justice student
March 15, 2021
Q: What’s your hometown? A: Portmore, Jamaica W.I. Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: I wanted to explore the possibility for a career change or merging of my previous career experiences with a new career path. I went to an Â黨´«Ă˝recruitment activity in Kingston, Jamaica, then applied for the program and was successful. Q: How did you choose the Criminal and Social Justice program? A: I worked in the human services prior to coming to Canada and beli...
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College culinary program supports students facing food insecurity
March 15, 2021
When Mariko Nagata picks up a free lunch at Okanagan College she likens it to a warm hug. The mother of two was laid off during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic giving her a chance to return to school and enrol in the Culinary and Pastry Arts program. Now, she's helping cook healthy meals that not only support her during her studies but a range of fellow students who are facing food insecurity. “It's nice to be able to access this help and the food is always so beautifully presented,” says Nagata. “I think it makes a differenc...
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