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Alumni

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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A collage of photos of Okanagan College alumni.
Nominations open for 2023 OC alumni recognition

May 5, 2023

Maybe you’ve heard of the six degrees of Okanagan College? That’s the notion that people are six or fewer social connections away from someone who attended or worked at OC. Chances are, if you live in B.C., you probably have a friend or acquaintance that connects you to OC in under six degrees. Don’t believe us? Start asking – and let us know what you uncover. The Okanagan College Alumni Association (OCAA) wants to highlight alumni connections across the region as it launches a call for nominations of outstanding alumni for recognition in 2...

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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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Yael Cohen and Helen Jackman
Watt a gift! Okanagan College’s Electronics Engineering Technology Program gets an $80,000 boost from a local engineer

March 6, 2023

Yael Cohen, a Vernon-based communications engineer, recently donated $80,000 in state-of-the-art electronic equipment to Okanagan College’s Electronics Engineering Technology program. The gift included hundreds of electrical components that will be used by program instructors to build in-class electrical circuits and test demos and will be made available to students for use in their end-of-term capstone projects.  “I was fortunate to receive numerous scholarships when I was in school, and I wanted to pay it forward,” says Cohen, an Okanag...

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Amanda Jones
OC to celebrate first graduates of 2023

January 26, 2023

Amanda Jones will be one of hundreds of OC graduates taking a momentous step this weekend, as she and her peers cross the red carpet at the College’s first Convocation ceremonies of the year. And for the Penticton mother of two – who juggled a return to classroom with supporting a family and running a successful business during a global pandemic – the long-awaited moment brings feelings of pride and a continued desire to keep learning. Okanagan College will recognize graduates at two ceremonies in Kelowna on Saturday: 10:30 a.m. – Science...

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Jessica Bourelle and her musical production team give thumbs ups.
Okanagan College alumni team up to launch new EP as annual music concert set to take place

January 20, 2023

As a kid, Jessica Bourelle dreamed of being a musician, singing along to songs she heard on the radio or ones that she had written herself.   She had the heart of a poet, loved writing and dreamed of a career in music. But like a lot of creative forces, Jessica wondered if her songs were good enough.  Enter Okanagan College’s Audio Engineering and Music Production program, a certificate course that prepares individuals to work in a variety of different music production careers. It was in the program that Jessica’s confidence soared with a s...

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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 alumnus Aaron Edis sits in front of a computer and electronics components.
Meet Aaron Edis, Electronics Engineering alumnus

December 2, 2022

  Q: What’s your hometown? Where are you now? A: Burnaby and Kelowna. I now live in Salmon Arm, B.C. Q: What years did you attend OC? A: 2008 to 2010 Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: I was living in Kelowna at the time and I was interested in Electrical/Electronics, perhaps an engineering degree. I figured the college was the place to start since I could be a technologist after 2 years of school and then had the option to start working if I chose. That, and I had heard...

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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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