Students
OC Advanced GIS grad dives deep into data to map shark population growth
June 18, 2021
When Sarah Gravel decided to sign up for geographic information systems (GIS) training, she was looking to broaden her skills in a way that would serve her Master of Marine Biology degree in a productive way. Now she is using those GIS mapping skills to understand the effects of climate change on sharks, rays and other fishes, along with developing models for population growth rates among those creatures. Ƶ’s Advanced GIS Certificate program teaches students to structure, manage and analyze data within a map. The maps we’...
Read more...OC student follows in her father’s footsteps as RV Service Technician
June 17, 2021
As an RV Service Technician instructor at Ƶ, Victor Flint welcomes hundreds of new faces to the classroom each year, but none so familiar as his own daughter, Sharla, who is proudly following in his footsteps. Sharla will join nearly 300 students from various Ƶ Trades and Apprenticeship programs who will take an important step towards their career path at the virtual Commencement ceremony tonight (Thursday, June 17). Sharla recently completed the Recreation Vehicle Service Technician Foundation program at the...
Read more...The road to Harvard: Ƶ graduate continues her quest for knowledge
June 3, 2021
Dr. Guessy Wang is no stranger to the graduation stage having already secured a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Dental Surgery. Wang will be adding a third degree to her name, graduating from Ƶ with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, an impressive feat that has propelled her to Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health where she will begin her search for a solution to help address dental obstacles within Canada’s northern population. Wang came to Canada from China as an international student. She attended the...
Read more...OC Enactus wows on the national stage with pitch competition win and top-four team finish
May 21, 2021
Ƶ 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 OC 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 project...
Read more...OC grad honoured for contributions to inclusion, democracy and reconciliation
May 20, 2021
When Saige Girouard arrived at Ƶ 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 OC 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 Lieuten...
Read more...Animation Industry Night paints picture of OC student success
May 14, 2021
Local animation studios had the opportunity to canvas the next generation of talent from Ƶ’s Animation Diploma program at the third-annual Industry Night, which showcased students’ artwork, demo reels and professional portfolios. On May 13, Ƶ 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 crossed th...
Read more...Stewart family invests in health at Ƶ
April 16, 2021
The Stewart family is donating $50,000 to support the education of health care professionals at Ƶ. 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 education as ...
Read more...Students invest in Health Sciences Centre
April 7, 2021
It’s an investment in future students and community health, and one the Ƶ Students’ Union (OCSU) says is even more important in light of the ongoing pandemic. OCSU is donating $15,000 to the Ƶ 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 member. ...
Read more...Long Night long on benefits for Ƶ students
April 1, 2021
If there is power in numbers when fighting procrastination, then Ƶ 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 Ƶ 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, Okanaga...
Read more...College Pastry Arts students craft creative Easter confections
April 1, 2021
While no official sightings of the Easter Bunny have been reported on campus, Ƶ’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 OC 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 items they...
Read more...OC 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 Ƶ.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 with the o...
Read more...Knuever Legacy Fund makes major investment in Vernon students
March 30, 2021
A new awards fund at Ƶ 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 individual’s...
Read more...OC business students take trio of first-place finishes at Enactus Western Canada Regionals
March 30, 2021
Ƶ 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 OC Enactus initiative FruitSnaps was entered – and w...
Read more...Going back to school in COVID-times: How OC 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 Ƶ’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-degree c...
Read more...Long connection inspires major gift by Friesen family
March 22, 2021
A decades-long connection to Ƶ and a desire to give back to community is inspiring a $150,000 donation by the Friesen family to the Ƶ 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 Ƶ in the mid-1970s. In 1984, her husband Rod started Voyager RV and their son Jason who is running the business is grate...
Read more...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 Ƶ? A: Honestly it was a number of different things that had me deciding on Ƶ. 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 decided on...
Read more...