OCNews

Articles tagged "OC Alumni Association"

Himrose Bajaj
OC alum turns passion for music into a career in DJing

August 16, 2023

Set to release six original songs next month on Apple Music and Spotify, Himrose Bajaj’s career as DJ Hamy Shah is hitting new high notes.  As a child, Himrose Baja felt an instant connection to the Punjabi music his mom played in their home.  Now thanks to a unique music production course at OC he’s creating his own songs blending Punjabi language and hip-hop beats.   Himrose, who came to OC as an international student and is now a Canadian permanent resident living in Kelowna, is set to release six original songs this summer after graduat...

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Kayla Caruana
OC alum empowers seniors with financial planning expertise

June 29, 2023

OC alum Kayla Caruana was the youngest Certified Financial Planner (CFP) in Canada when she received her designation in January 2019, just 18 months after completing her program at the Okanagan School of Business. She credits her professors at Okanagan College for the training and encouragement that led her to explore the CFP designation. And Caruana was just getting started. Following the completion of her Bachelor of Business Administration from OC, during her last semester of studies she went on to found her own financial planning busi...

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OC Alum Travis Holmes
OC alum inspiring the next generation of learners

May 11, 2023

Career goals became within reach, with upgrading options and Business program at Okanagan College   Kelowna – As a high school student, Travis Holmes couldn’t wait to leave school. But now the Okanagan College alum has brought his education full circle and is back in the classroom, encouraging secondary high school students as a careers and entrepreneurship teacher at Rutland Secondary School.  Holmes, who completed his Bachelor of Business Administration from OC in 2020, says his journey to finding the right career path has taken some time...

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OC alum Milanne Desfosses at her workplace
Meet Milanne Desfosses

April 20, 2023

Q: What is your name? A: Milanne Desfosses Q: What are your pronouns? A: She/her/hers Q: Where is your hometown and where are you located now? A: I’m from Fort St. John, B.C., and now I live in Calgary. Q: What did you take at OC? When did you graduate? A: I completed a Bachelor of Business Administration program, with a specialty in finance in 2019. Q: What got you interested in Business? A: I wasn’t always sure I’d go to college. Throughout my school years, I studied dance a...

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Erum Ahmad and family
OC alum finds golden opportunity for unique jewelry business

April 17, 2023

OC alum Erum Ahmad polished up a business idea that lets her creativity shine. Now she is building that interest into a business that allows her to tap into her culture and draw from her Pakistani roots. Erum, who completed her Bachelor of Business Administration from OC in 2021, has been busy since graduating. Along with starting ERUM, her jewelry business, she works as an accountant and is studying for her CPA certification. In addition, she is head of finance with Bollywood Bang, a local fundraiser event benefiting the Vernon Jubilee Ho...

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Sasha Lewis-Parker
Meet Sasha Lewis-Parker

March 29, 2023

Q: What is your name? A: Sasha Lewis-Parker Q: What are your pronouns? A: She/Her Q: Where is your hometown and where are you located now? A: Dunster, B.C. is where I grew up, living off the land with my sisters and parents and our pack of wolf dogs and horses. I currently live in Salmon Arm, B.C., a much more tame life with a rescue kitty and a corgi by my side. Q: What did you take at OC? When did you graduate? A: Human Service Work Diploma, I graduated in 2014. Q: What got you i...

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Elizabeth Cook
Meet Elizabeth Cook

March 17, 2023

Q: What is your name? A: Elizabeth (Lizzy) Cook Q: What are your pronouns? A: She/Her/Hers Q: Where is your hometown and where are you located now? A: Hometown is Conifer, Colorado. Currently located in Denver, Colorado. Q: What did you take at OC? When did you graduate? A: Bachelor of Business Administration and graduated in 2016. Q: What got you interested in your program A: I wasn’t sure what I “wanted to do with my life,” and the business program seemed like it would provide a ...

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Electronics engineering alum Emily Schatz sits at a computer desk by a window overlooking the mountain
Meet Emily Schatz, OC Electronics Engineering alum

December 13, 2022

Q: What years did you attend OC? A: 2015-2017 Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: I chose Okanagan College specifically for the technologist program.  Q: How did you choose your program? A:  I wanted to become an engineer. I had heard that a common problem engineers face is not understanding how to design products for the people who are building them. I wanted to gain hands-on experience so I could be a well-rounded design engineer. The ELEN at Okanagan College program wa...

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ELEN graduate works remotely from home, sitting at his computer desk with multiple screens.
Meet Jedidiah Forrest, OC Electronics Engineering alum

November 29, 2022

Q: What years did you attend OC? A: 2014-2016 Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: Engineering technology programs caught my eye. Needed a career path change. Q: How did you choose your program? A: I applied to all three engineering programs and Electronic Engineering Technology responded first. Q: What did you like most about the program? A: The immersion was incredible. Every day is a science whirlwind, and labs were fantastically engaging. The staff is made of caring pr...

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Grid of images from OC campuses, clockwise from top left: Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna and Salmon Arm
Alumni engagement poll

November 21, 2022

The Okanagan College Alumni Association invites alumni to participate in a quick poll. It will help assess the current state of alumni engagement at Okanagan College and establish a baseline for future tracking. OCAA is hoping to engage current OC employees who are also alumni, who may not receive messages. The survey should take approximately 2-4 minutes. To ensure confidentiality, your responses to this survey will be anonymized and combined with those of other respondents. Complete the survey by Tuesday, Dec. 6. To participate, please c...

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Danielle Walker
OC alum honoured for contributions to inclusion, democracy and reconciliation

October 17, 2022

Sorting through her mail on a recent trip to the mailbox, Okanagan College (OC) alum Danielle Walker received a surprise - the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Inclusion, Democracy and Reconciliation. “The award was completely out of the blue,” says Walker. “I knew I had been nominated, but the timing was such a surprise. I just took it in for a minute at the mailbox and cried.” The award recognizes post-secondary students who make outstanding contributions in support of inclusion, democracy and reconciliation and is the culmination of Walke...

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Chef Rob Walker in the OC Kitchen
Meet Chef Rob Walker

October 12, 2022

Q: What is your name? A: Chef Robert Walker Q: What did you take at OC/OUC? What years did you attend? What campus did you attend? A: I graduate from the Culinary Arts Certificate program at Okanagan University College in 2001. Q: Why did you choose your program at OC? A: I grew up in the Kootenays not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life. But I always loved food. In the back of my head was this question, “How do I become a chef?” I had my eye on the Okanagan Valley so ...

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Chef Rob Walker and OCAA President, Kara Kazimer
OC alum honoured for culinary contributions in the kitchen and classroom

October 6, 2022

An award-winning local chef has earned the highest accolade bestowed by Okanagan College’s Alumni Association (OCAA). And the sweetest part? The nomination came from those following in his footsteps – his students. Chef Rob Walker is the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award from OCAA. The award recognizes Chef Walker’s outstanding contributions within his community and industry. The OCAA has been conferring the Distinguished and Young Alumni Awards since 2002 to honour the extraordinary contributions and recognize the posit...

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OC alum Joey Rood standing by an airplane
Meet Joey Rood

September 28, 2022

What is your name? Joey Rood What are your pronouns? He / Him / His Where is your hometown and where are you located now? Kelowna is my hometown. I am located in Sioux Lookout, Ont., for my job now. What did you take at OC? When did you graduate? I completed the Commercial Aviation Diploma in 2019. What got you interested in aviation? I’ve been interested in aviation since I was a kid. When I was 13, I went on a helicopter tour. From there, I joined the Air Cadet program and e...

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Emily McKay
Okanagan College alumni Emily McKay made a lot of connections while studying at OC’s School of Business

September 20, 2022

Those connections led her to where she is today, as a social entrepreneur with a fashion business aimed at sustainability in an industry that produces greenhouse gases at twice the rate of the airline industry. “I went to Okanagan College because I was interested in the marketing world and possibly one day owning my own business,” says McKay. “Looking back, I made so many amazing connections at Okanagan College that led me in the direction of all of my most critical work experiences and special life experiences. It led me to my study abroad...

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Erum Ahmad
OC alumna gives back with bursary for high school grads

June 22, 2022

Okanagan College alumna Erum Ahmad has been spending her time teaching Vernon high school students how to be smart with their money. Now, she is giving one of those students a chance to put their learnings into action by creating a bursary to fund the next steps of their educational journey. Erum, who graduated from Okanagan College in 2021, found a passion in sharing financial literacy with high school students after experiencing a lack of financial training herself. “When I was in grade 10, I realized there were no classes to help me lea...

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