Okanagan College Media Release



It was a three-peat performance for students from Okanagan College’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Okanagan at the 2010 Western Regional SIFE competition. Building on their record-setting performance from last year, the College business students are the first team in western Canada to win first place in two categories three years in a row.
 


SIFE Okanagan went up against 11 colleges and universities from four provinces in western Canada and finished first in the categories of Financial Literacy and in the Green Challenge. The students finished second in Entrepreneurship.



"The SIFE Okanagan team put forth an incredible performance, not just in their presentation, but in the work they have done in completing projects to compete at the SIFE level,” said Dr. Heather Banham, Associate Dean of Business. “Two first places and a first runner-up is more than any single institution could expect. Every single member of the team was an ambassador for Okanagan College." 



Kelowna’s Travis Fleming, Jennifer Stefansson and Melissa Veregin teamed up with Vernon SIFE members Brant Jackson and Blake Lewis to compete in the HSBC SIFE Financial Education Challenge. The team won the title of first place, $1,500, and a berth to compete at the national competition later this May. Their award-winning project was based on the Young Entrepreneur Competition, the Bridges Youth Mentorship Program and Solutions Consulting. The team from Okanagan College outperformed teams from Simon Fraser University, the University of Regina, Mount Royal University, British Columbia Institute of Technology and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology to win the title. 



In the 2010 SIFE Green Challenge, Kelowna’s Deepak Garcha, Matthew Cosar and Sattu Dhaliwal and Kevin Slater teamed up with Vernon’s Graham Moir for the top spot. The team earned a berth to Nationals and prize money of $1,500 after finishing ahead of Royal Roads University, Simon Fraser University, the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University and British Columbia Institute of Technology. The team won the competition based on a presentation of their green initiatives, which include the Green Business Awards, Sustainability Coaching and the Grow Up Greener elementary school program. 
 


Okanagan College’s Entrepreneurship team was edged out of first place by Brandon University, finishing second and earning a prize of $1,000. The team of Brittany Sjoblom (Vernon), Mike Cestas (Vernon), Jill Konduc (Kelowna), Aman Sandhuu (Kelowna) and Brandi Callaghan (Kelowna) presented on the Young Entrepreneur Competition, the Student Entrepreneurship Club, and Solutions Consulting. They finished ahead of the University of Calgary, the University of Saskatchewan, and Simon Fraser University. 



“The level of competition at SIFE events continues to rise,” said Dr. Kyleen Myrah, SIFE Okanagan Faculty Advisory. “It is so inspiring to see what all these students are achieving in their own communities. Top finishes for the SIFE Okanagan team once again demonstrates that these students are among the very best in the country.”



Based on results from the Western Regionals, Okanagan College will send three teams to Calgary to compete at the National SIFE Competition from May 10 -12. SIFE Okanagan will compete for national honours in three categories including: Financial Literacy, the Green Challenge, and the overall national team challenge.