Students
Long connection inspires major gift by Friesen family
March 22, 2021
A decades-long connection to Okanagan College and a desire to give back to community is inspiring a $150,000 donation by the Friesen family to the Okanagan College 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 Okanagan College 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 Okanagan College? A: Honestly it was a number of different things that had me deciding on Okanagan College. 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...Nighttime noshing and homework help: OC students gear up for Long Night Against Procrastination
March 18, 2021
The power of pizza among peers is greater than procrastination. With end-of-term deadlines in sight, organizers of the popular Okanagan College Long Night Against Procrastination are ready to offer up snacks, prizes and solidarity to students facing winter term finals. Long Night Against Procrastination started at the Penticton campus in 2015, with students converging on campus for late-night cram sessions with help from faculty, librarians and Success Centre coordinators. The annual event helped students meet end-of-term deadlines with...
Read more...Meet Janet McLeish, Criminal and Social Justice student
March 15, 2021
Q: What’s your hometown? A: Portmore, Jamaica W.I. Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: I wanted to explore the possibility for a career change or merging of my previous career experiences with a new career path. I went to an OC recruitment activity in Kingston, Jamaica, then applied for the program and was successful. Q: How did you choose the Criminal and Social Justice program? A: I worked in the human services prior to coming to Canada and believe this...
Read more...College culinary program supports students facing food insecurity
March 15, 2021
When Mariko Nagata picks up a free lunch at Okanagan College she likens it to a warm hug. The mother of two was laid off during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic giving her a chance to return to school and enrol in the Culinary and Pastry Arts program. Now, she's helping cook healthy meals that not only support her during her studies but a range of fellow students who are facing food insecurity. “It's nice to be able to access this help and the food is always so beautifully presented,” says Nagata. “I think it makes a difference in a l...
Read more...Retired nurse donates $50k to Health Sciences Centre
March 11, 2021
Many things have changed since Delphine Stone went to nursing school more than 60 years ago, but she’s sure one element still holds true: the positive role education plays in one’s life. In honour of the value of education, Stone is donating $50,000 to the Our Students, Your Health campaign for a new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. “Education really changed my life,” recalls Stone, who was the youngest of 11 children and grew up on a farm near Battleford, Saskatchewan. Stone remembers receiving a $100 award from the Hosp...
Read more...Enactus OC’s CANsave program celebrates remarkable reach, new financial literacy resources for youth with diverse needs
March 9, 2021
Okanagan College’s Enactus team is marking a memorable milestone this month, having mentored more than 50,000 Canadian children through its CANsave financial literacy program – and the program’s latest focus may be its most inspiring yet. Developed entirely by Okanagan College students, CANsave teaches youth important financial literacy skills like saving for tomorrow, differences between good and bad debt, and the importance of saving to help others in need. CANsave launched in 2016 with a focus on teaching students in Grades 1 a...
Read more...Okanagan College automotive program receives donation from Ford of Canada and Orchard Ford
March 8, 2021
Contribution of a 2020 Ford F-150 will allow students to gain valuable hands-on experience Automotive trades students at Okanagan College are getting a big boost for their education with the arrival of a shiny new training tool on which they can hone their skills. Ford of Canada and Orchard Ford are donating a 2020 Ford F-150 to the College to be used by students in its automotive service training programs. The vehicle has arrived at the Kelowna campus and will be put to good use in the shop immediately, notes Dean of Trades Steve Moores....
Read more...Student housing initiative announcement
March 5, 2021
To the Okanagan College community, Earlier today, B.C. Premier John Horgan, Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu, and OC President Jim Hamilton – joined by Business Administration student Evan Smith – announced an important student housing initiative that will see 376 more beds added to the College’s housing stock. The project involves buildings in Kelowna (216 beds), Vernon (100 beds) and Salmon Arm (60 beds) and will cost a total of $67.5 million, with the province contribution $36.3 million in grants, another $30.2 million in loans and...
Read more...Meet Kurt Albrechtsen, Kinesiology student
March 4, 2021
Q: What’s your hometown? A: I’m from Williams Lake, located in the Cariboo region. Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: I originally made my choice to come to OC by the recommendation of a friend who had attended previously and had a wonderful experience here. Q: How did you choose your program? A: After playing rugby and soccer all through my life, and having experienced injuries from both, as well as other activities like mountain biking and boxing, I found t...
Read more...College offers summer courses and virtual information sessions to help students get ahead
March 4, 2021
Summer plans uncertain because of COVID? Okanagan College is once again offering its summer session courses online and via flexible distance education options to help students get ahead on their studies. The College’s first summer session of online courses will run May 10-June 18 and the second summer session begins on July 5. Distance education courses start on May 10 and run through late August. Current and prospective students can now explore courses and register online at www.okanagan.bc.ca/summer. To check course availability, you c...
Read more...CFUW Kelowna celebrates 60 years of empowering women
February 26, 2021
Before there was Okanagan College or the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), a small group of women met to discuss how they could contribute to their community and promote higher education for women. Today, that group, known as the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Kelowna chapter, are celebrating 60 years of community impact and support for female students. More than $175,000 has been donated to female students at Okanagan College over the last 30 years including eight awards for students this year alone. “If we...
Read more...Indigenous Awards drives support for OC students
February 24, 2021
Kamloops’ Austin MacArthur moved to Kelowna to attend Okanagan College’s Automotive Service Technician program to unlock a lifelong dream of becoming a mechanic – a dream fueled in part by the Irving K. Barber BC Scholarship Society’s Indigenous Student awards. MacArthur is one of over 600 BC Indigenous students who shared more than $2.2 million in awards from the Society in support of post-secondary studies. The Society’s Indigenous Award program is one of six award programs and was created to assist in removing barriers to higher educati...
Read more...OC students get primed for financial success
February 16, 2021
A local partnership with a non-profit company, Launch Financial Education Society (Launch Okanagan), is powering up to help Okanagan College students boost their financial literacy this spring. Starting March 2, OC students will benefit from a free financial literacy program hosted online by Launch Okanagan. The Primer for Life series is an interactive, five-week program that offers students a chance to learn about their relationship with money, consumerism, budgeting, saving and credit. A number of Okanagan College Business students ...
Read more...A date with OC: A Valentine’s dinner surprise
February 9, 2021
Last minute Valentine’s day plans aren’t always the most memorable, but Okanagan College’s restaurant, Infusions, has a solution for you this Saturday that offers an unforgettable dining twist – everything is a surprise. What do we know about this surprise evening? Infusions Restaurant is opening its doors this Saturday, Feb. 13, to offer diners a Valentine’s culinary adventure to remember, where they won’t know what dish is coming out next. Diners will sit down for a five-course dinner menu created by OC Pastry Arts chef Danny Capadouca...
Read more...Experience OC takes post-secondary explorations virtual
February 5, 2021
Experience OC, from the safety of home. The College’s premiere participation event for prospective students is making the leap to the online world, with virtual Experience OC sessions launching next month. Starting Feb. 16, College professors will welcome prospective students, parents and employers in for program overviews or a glimpse of what a post-secondary classroom is like. Participants will get a first-hand look at the topics covered in these programs, including sustainability, Indigenous and technological issues facing the world t...
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