Students
OC alumni honoured for community impact
March 9, 2020
Two female graduates of 69ĘÓƵ have earned the highest honours from the 69ĘÓƵ Alumni Association (OCAA) for their outstanding contributions within their communities and industries. The OCAA has been conferring the Distinguished and Young Alumni Awards since 2002 to honour the extraordinary contributions and recognize the positive impact that OC’s graduates have in improving the lives of those around them. Christina Fast is the recipient of this year’s Young Alumni Award. “I was a careless 19-year-old with no...
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Stronger together: collaboration a theme of 37th Annual Spaghetti Bridge Building Contest at OC
March 6, 2020
What’s true for spaghetti and hot glue is true for people as well – we’re stronger when we stick together. In addition to coming away with new insights into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), participants of the 37th Annual Spaghetti Bridge Building Contest at 69ĘÓƵ also learned another important lesson in the value of collaboration. More than 250 students from elementary through post-secondary flocked from all over the Okanagan to the College’s Kelowna campus on Friday to see whose spaghetti bridge woul...
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Making mentors: OC Women in Trades and Willowstone Academy students learn and build together
March 6, 2020
Sometimes a finished carpentry project turns out to be far more than the sum of its parts, when the tools, techniques and materials combine to create something unforgettable and transformative. The same goes for educational experiences, as demonstrated by a recent event that brought together students from Willowstone Academy and 69ĘÓƵ’s Women in Trades Training (WITT) program, with support from the Industry Training Authority (ITA). On Thursday, March 5 a class of WITT students arrived in the early hours of the morning ...
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Renowned social media expert debunks digital myths in latest book
March 5, 2020
Social media is free. Millennials are all social media experts. Businesses have to be available 24/7. Psychologist Ian MacRae will address these and other social media myths during an upcoming book launch and discussion at 69ĘÓƵ in Kelowna on Wednesday, March 25. The date will mark the international debut for his latest book, Myths of Social Media: Dismiss the Misconceptions and Use Social Media Effectively in Business (published by Kogan Page, 2020), which he co-authored with Michelle Carvill. “Everyone knows that soc...
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Students seize opportunity at CICan Student Showcase on Parliament Hill, Ottawa
February 28, 2020
For third- and fourth-year Bachelor of Computer Science students Jack Humphrey and Christopher Mazur, showcasing their project on network optimization at Parliament Hill was an opportunity that opened doors and forged connections. Held in the National Arts Centre, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) on the Hill is a two-day conference, running February 26-27, geared towards connecting college and institute leaders with parliamentarians. The Student Showcase did just that, offering students from across Canada in any academic dis...
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RBC On Campus powers up financial literacy space at 69ĘÓƵ
February 25, 2020
A new collaboration between 69ĘÓƵ and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) will help OC students tap into free financial literacy support and services from RBC advisors. On Monday, RBC officially opened the new “RBC On Campus” financial literacy hub outside the Library on the second-floor mezzanine level of the Centre for Learning at the Kelowna campus. The space will be open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Students will be able to drop in, free of charge, to speak with RBC advisors who can help students on a host of to...
Read more...Coyotes Baseball Win over #1 and #12
February 21, 2020
The Coyotes are near the tail end of their season opening annual trip to Las Vegas and Phoenix and what a week it has been. On Monday the Coyotes headed to Coolidge, Arizona to face the 2019 Junior College World Series Champions and current # 1 ranked program in Central Arizona College. Wyatt Hummel, (West Kelowna, RHP, Sr) took the ball for his first start of the season and didn’t disappoint. The Coyotes pitching staff leader turned in 4 strong innings striking out 4 surrendering 3 runs. He then turned the ball over to Nic Taylor...
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Okanagan teens take on booming tech industry at JABC TechWorks
February 20, 2020
More than 200 teens from high schools throughout the Okanagan spent their Thursday on OC’s Kelowna campus for a full day learning about technology and innovation. Organized by Junior Achievement British Columbia (JABC), the day focused on introducing middle school-aged students to the vast variety of opportunities that permeate the tech world. The morning opened with a plenary, led by Andrew MacLean, co-founder of HighTech U, a learning community based out of the University of Victoria. Other speakers included 69ĘÓƵ Regi...
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Meet Brian Walker
February 20, 2020
What's your hometown? Roseburg, Oregon. It's a small town, a little smaller than West Kelowna. It has two big rivers that run right through it. How did you end up at 69ĘÓƵ? Well, that's a long story. My girlfriend is from here. I applied to the school here because mostly to be close to her and partially because I had never had the opportunity to leave the states for such an adventure. How did you choose your program? Well, I've always known I wanted to teac...
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Chefs’ Table Society sets up Harry McWatters Scholarship Fund
February 13, 2020
A Canadian wine icon is honoured — scholarship will fund deserving students for overseas studies When Canadian wine icon Harry McWatters passed suddenly last summer, the sense of loss that so many felt went well beyond his extensive personal relationships. At McWatters’ service in Penticton, many of the 1,500 in attendance wondered just who might fill the void in the British Columbia wine industry which he helped invent, then cultivated for more than 40 years. “Harry’s mentorship is rightly legendary,” says Jonathan Rouse, Associ...
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69ĘÓƵ spotlights STEM education and career paths in Feb and March
February 13, 2020
What do soccer-playing robots, spaghetti bridges and soaring aviators have in common? Over the next month, 69ĘÓƵ will be opening its doors to elementary, middle and high school students to attend a series of events aimed at encouraging young people to step into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). “We want learners of all ages to hear the message that there has never been a better time to get into technology careers. There is a very real need for skilled workers in everything from animation to electronic, ...
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Community, industry support propels College’s Tourism Management program
February 11, 2020
For Julia Dorrius, born and raised in Revelstoke, the College’s new Tourism Management (TMD) diploma has done far more than just open her eyes to the booming demand for skilled tourism professionals – it’s also opened doors, giving her a chance to gain work experience with local employers. “I graduated high school last June and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” explains Dorrius. “My dad sent me a link to the program and suggested I take a look at it. I just finished my first semester and, so far, I’ve found it to be a great way t...
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Mapping a world-wide worry: OC student charts coronavirus spread in real-time
February 4, 2020
Sean Heddle was looking for a career change after an injury left him unable to work as a concrete construction foreman. He could never have imagined that his foray into the study of geographic information systems (GIS) would see him building a real-time map of a global public health emergency. Heddle, who hails from Kelowna, is currently enrolled in the GIS Certificate course at 69ĘÓƵ in Salmon Arm. His professor, Shelley Desautels, recently issued an assignment to her class, inviting students to build a digital map of ...
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Swinging clubs to hammers: How a golf pro’s home renos inspired his program choice at 69ĘÓƵ
January 30, 2020
It’s easy to say that Greg Forbes went from looking for a hole in one, to drilling several holes in many. After growing up playing golf in Oakville, Forbes earned a golf scholarship to study at Coastal Carolina University, playing at storied courses at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. He completed his Bachelor of Business Science degree with a major in marketing, returning to Canada to tee off a career with retail giant Golf Town that ultimately brought him to Kelowna. “I had been opening stores across Ontario, and the opportunity ...
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Gateway graduation showcases student transformation
January 29, 2020
This is the second time Caleb Wykes has graduated from Gateway to Trades, but it's hard to say which time has been more impactful. The first time Wykes took the 10-week program that introduces high school students to the skilled trades, he graduated with a desire to “straighten up.” In the past Wykes would skip school, but after Gateway he started showing up regularly and working hard. The seventeen year old completed his Grade 11 and 12 and graduated early. The second time through the program Wykes benefited from getting an oppor...
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Pushor Mitchell invests in mental health
January 28, 2020
Pushor Mitchell is donating $30,000 to aid 69ĘÓƵ students who in their careers will support people facing mental health issues, homelessness and community isolation. The law firm that has been serving the Okanagan for more than 45 years is creating two annual awards valued at $2,000 each for students taking the College’s Human Service Work program. Human Service Work professionals help people navigate through crisis or chronic situations where the person feels they need external help and guidance to move forward with th...
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