Learning &
Incoming Salmon Arm student wins a $40,000 scholarship
August 31, 2021
Salmon Arm student Savannah Lamb has 40,000 reasons to be excited to begin her educational journey at Okanagan College this fall. Thanks to an external $40,000 scholarship from the Beedie Luminaries foundation, Lamb will begin the Associate of Arts program at the College’s Salmon Arm campus in the fall, worry-free. “When I found out about receiving this scholarship, I was so surprised and it took me a while to process it,” says Lamb. “After it sunk in, I shared the news with my family, and we had the chance to celebrate together.”...
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Building the energy efficient home of the future
August 23, 2021
Okanagan College and UBCO collaboration powers up Wilden Living Lab Phase 2 It’s a research partnership that’s about more than bricks and mortar. Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan — together with Wilden’s Blenk Development Corp., AuthenTech Homes and FortisBC — have broken ground on Phase 2 of the Wilden Living Lab research project. Phase one started in 2016 when two homes were built side-by-side in Wilden. One was built to current building codes including a natural gas furnace, standard plumbing fixtures and applianc...
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Audio Engineering and Music Production grad finds her groove through music during the pandemic
August 18, 2021
It didn’t take a pandemic for Kailee McGuire to realize that she should follow her lifelong passion for music. With her heart set on writing and releasing original music, McGuire decided to shadow an Audio Engineering and Music Production (AEMP) class at Okanagan College to get a feel for what the program was all about. After connecting with Instructor Corey Bell and AEMP students, McGuire was hooked. She was inspired by the energy of the class and felt connected to the students, sharing the same passion for music and desire to ex...
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A perfect pairing: Sandhill invites Culinary Arts students into the kitchen
August 6, 2021
As a student, you never know when opportunities will pop up – and Okanagan College Culinary Arts students are bubbling over with new experiences thanks to Sandhill Wines. As a result of a unique collaboration with the Kelowna-based winery, Culinary Arts students will cook a three-course plated dinner as part of a pop-up dinner series Aug. 10 to 13. “We are thrilled to welcome the students of Okanagan College into our kitchen. They have concepted a mouth-watering menu which truly represents their creativity and skill. We are very e...
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Skogie’s 50th anniversary adds shine to student experience
July 28, 2021
Skogie’s car washes are celebrating 50 years of business by making the ride for Okanagan College students a little easier. For every year the family-run business has been in operation, Skogie’s is donating $1,000 to Okanagan College — for a total of $50,000 in honour of their half-century anniversary. “We've hired a lot of Okanagan College students over the years,” says David Skoglund, who founded the company in 1971. “We want to support young people and help them get ahead and we also wanted to give back to our community.” The ...
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Mental health tips for the transition back to campus
July 20, 2021
Just as none of us had ever lived through a pandemic before COVID-19, none of us have ever emerged from one either. OC’s Counselling Services team has compiled these tips to help you prepare for the transitions that lie ahead. Don’t compare yourself. Not with other people and not with where you think you ‘should be’ at this point. We just lived through a global pandemic! If you had times of feeling not so productive or you’re feeling tired now, you’re not alone and that’s...
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Alumnus gives dose of support to Pharmacy Technician students
July 16, 2021
The CEO of Catalyst Healthcare is giving Pharmacy Technician students a dose of support with a gift to the Our Students, Your Health campaign. Shane Bishop, founder and CEO of Catalyst Healthcare, is donating $30,000 in support of Okanagan College’s Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. Bishop spent his first two years of post-secondary at the College, and the gift is his way of paying it forward to the organization and its students. “Okanagan College provides access to future careers and I wanted to be part of supportin...
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Oral surgeons give to thank Certified Dental Assistants
July 6, 2021
A local oral surgery group with offices in Kelowna and Vernon is investing in the education of Certified Dental Assistants (CDAs) with a gift to Okanagan College’s Our Students, Your Health campaign. Dr. Richard Bell, Dr. Russell Naito and Dr. Tom White of Okanagan Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates are donating $30,000 to support a state-of-the-art dental clinic in the College’s new Health Sciences Centre. The surgeons say the gift is a way to recognize and celebrate the work of their current staff and past employees. “We...
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College's modern dental clinic gets a boost from 123Dentist
June 28, 2021
123Dentist, Canada’s largest majority dentist-owned network of dental practices, is giving $30,000 to support Okanagan College’s state-of-the-art dental space located in the new $18.9-million Health Sciences Centre. The new clinic is a major upgrade for Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) students, who can now learn in private operatories comparable to today’s dental practices along with smart cameras and monitors for teaching and instruction. Ali Bozorgzad, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of 123Dentist, says his organizatio...
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Partnership dishes up meal ideas by Culinary Students and local food products
June 24, 2021
A new partnership between Okanagan College and produce supplier company Farm Bound is bringing locally sourced organic foods to your doorstep with delicious summer-ready recipes crafted by Culinary Arts students. Food-lovers can now order the Inspiration Box from the Farm Bound website. The box has fully portioned ingredients for recipes to make Middle Eastern Chicken Za’atar, Carrot and Radish Salad, Pea Risotto with Asparagus and a spice blend to make your own Za’atar Spice Mix. Not only will you learn new recipes but also...
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Advanced GIS grad dives deep into data to map shark population growth
June 18, 2021
When Sarah Gravel decided to sign up for geographic information systems (GIS) training, she was looking to broaden her skills in a way that would serve her Master of Marine Biology degree in a productive way. Now she is using those GIS mapping skills to understand the effects of climate change on sharks, rays and other fishes, along with developing models for population growth rates among those creatures. Okanagan College’s Advanced GIS Certificate program teaches students to structure, manage and analyze data within a map. The ...
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student follows in her father’s footsteps as RV Service Technician
June 17, 2021
As an RV Service Technician instructor at Okanagan College, Victor Flint welcomes hundreds of new faces to the classroom each year, but none so familiar as his own daughter, Sharla, who is proudly following in his footsteps. Sharla will join nearly 300 students from various Okanagan College Trades and Apprenticeship programs who will take an important step towards their career path at the virtual Commencement ceremony tonight (Thursday, June 17). Sharla recently completed the Recreation Vehicle Service Technician Foundation progra...
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alumna masters her trade on TV; panelist in upcoming webinar
June 9, 2021
While most college graduates can relate to the at times hectic challenge of balancing life, school and work during their student days, few know what it feels like to meet that challenge while followed around by a camera crew. alumna Cassidy McEown is one who does. She has been learning her trade, Collision Repair and Refinishing, while on HISTORY’s Rust Valley Restorers (RVR) for the last three years. “I generally work better under pressure, but having a camera over your shoulder while working on metal work is something you de...
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The road to Harvard: Okanagan College graduate continues her quest for knowledge
June 3, 2021
Dr. Guessy Wang is no stranger to the graduation stage having already secured a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Dental Surgery. Wang will be adding a third degree to her name, graduating from Okanagan College with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, an impressive feat that has propelled her to Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health where she will begin her search for a solution to help address dental obstacles within Canada’s northern population. Wang came to Canada from China as an international student. She atte...
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offers up new culinary workshops for foodies and wine connoisseurs
May 31, 2021
Calling all foodies to the table: mark your calendars. This June, Okanagan College is offering up a series of safe, distanced but still hands-on culinary workshops to help you build some new skills and explore different flavours while learning in the College’s commercial kitchens under the guidance of Red Seal Chefs. The College’s Culinary and Pastry Arts department is launching four new short culinary series this month: Dinner Party – Wine and Dine Series – Mediterranean is happening on June 11 and 12. This two-day workshop is a ...
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Enactus wows on the national stage with pitch competition win and top-four team finish
May 21, 2021
Okanagan College Enactus students won first place in the brand-new Intuit Sustainability Pitch Competition category at the Enactus Canada National Exposition, making them the first post-secondary team to win this award and marking them as the team to beat in years ahead. Enactus was recognized as one of the top four teams in the country after an impressive finish at the national finals on the strength of three projects: FruitSnaps, CanSave and Rising. The winning pitch and an impressive second runner-up finish for the FruitSnaps...
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