The perfect play: education a game-winning tactic

By College Relations | September 12, 2017
           

Okanagan College Media Release

With a promising hockey career on the horizon,18-year-old Myles Mattila is laying the groundwork for a bright future—combining his passion for competitive hockey with a solid business education at Okanagan College.

The right-winger joined the Kelowna Chiefs this season after making his mark with the Okanagan Rockets and Cariboo Cougars. He is just one of approximately 2,380 new students who began classes at one of Okanagan College’s four campuses last week.

“My goal definitely is to play hockey at the highest level possible,” says Mattila. “I can excel in hockey, but why not also with a degree in hand? You never know if an injury or other circumstances could sideline me.”

Finding a program that would not make him choose between hockey or education was key.

“With team practice mid-day I needed something that afforded me the scheduling flexibility to still play competitively,” explains the former Quesnel resident, who recently returned to Kelowna. “That’s why I chose Okanagan College; I was able to build my timetable with morning and evening classes.”

Mattila is confident that the community focus at Okanagan College will also enable him to pursue his other passion: championing mental health awareness. He’s already received wide-spread recognition for his efforts. In June he was bestowed the BC Hockey President’s Award for his dedication to the cause as the founder of MindRight.info, a website designed to educate the Cariboo Cougars hockey community about mental health. He even received a Twitter nod from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his efforts.

“The business program at the College has a reputation for community involvement and enabling students to give back,” says Mattila. “I’m confident that pursuing the management specialty will help me make connections to advance mental health awareness.”

Relatively new to Kelowna, Mattila has already been asked to represent the city at the International Conference on Youth Mental Health. He will travel to Dublin, Ireland in two weeks where he will collaborate with young leaders from around the world who are committed to creating positive changes in youth mental health.

As for long-term goals, even if a professional hockey career pans out: “I’d love to become a lawyer one day, but one thing at a time,” he says. “For now, I’ll just enjoy my first weeks as a college student.”

 





TOP STORIES

RELATED STORIES

Sign up for weekly stories




Trending

Communications student standing outside the Centre for Learning building at the Kelowna campus
Meet Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores

April 4, 2023

Q: What's your name? A: Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores Q: What's your hometown? A: Quito – Ecuador – South America Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: Well, I studied for a bachelor's degree in Law in Ecuador. Then, I worked for a while and got my Master's degree in Government and Culture of Organizations at the University of Pamplona.  When I returned to my country, professional opportunities arose for me. I mean, a Master's degree improved my career. Spain helped ...

Read more...
Animation student
Artistic students design future careers in animation

June 7, 2022

Grads of Okanagan College’s Animation Diploma program are finding their skills have never been in higher demand. First- and second-year students showed samples of their artwork and demo reels to industry partners at OC’s annual Animation Industry Night on May 17. “Lots of the work was very professional,” says James Wood, Chair of Okanagan College’s Animation Department. “Our program is short, but intense. The instructors make sure the students have a realistic understanding of what they need do to succeed in a competitive and demanding...

Read more...
JAMK campus
OC Business students embrace international study again

May 30, 2022

Business students from Okanagan College are once again able to travel to Jyväskylä, Finland to experience an international summer school at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences.  Finland’s education system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.  OC Business Professor Blair Baldwin, who has taught Services Design at JAMK for several summers, says working in Finland has helped him innovate and create new teaching methodologies. “JAMK employs experiential learning across its curriculum,” he says. “They stress cri...

Read more...
Enactus 2022
Enactus Okanagan College tops the field, sets sights on national championships

May 27, 2022

Okanagan College students will once again be competing for the Canadian title after qualifying for the Enactus National Exposition with a first-place finish in their league during the semi-final round. Enactus teams at post-secondary institutions across Canada competed virtually earlier this month, and Okanagan College scooped up top position in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, and runner-up in the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge for the Unusually Good Food Co. project. It also included national runner-up in Shaw and RBC accelerator...

Read more...