Learning & Programs
Experience °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćtakes post-secondary explorations virtual
February 5, 2021
Experience OC, from the safety of home. The Collegeās premiere participation event for prospective students is making the leap to the online world, with virtual Experience °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćsessions 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...
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Giving to the health of the community
January 29, 2021
A retired Kelowna couple are donating $30,000 to °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćās Health Sciences Centre to support the health of the community. Jim Hodgson and Joy Bianco are supporting the Our Students and Your Health Campaign with a gift they say recognizes their passion for the Okanagan. āKelowna is a beautiful place. Weāve seen so many changes here for the positive, and itās feels good to support the community,ā says Bianco, who was born in Kelowna but spent her formative years in Vancouver. Bianco adds education has always been central ...
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°ĶĄč·čĀķŠćBusiness students shine at international competition
January 28, 2021
While COVID-19 travel restrictions cheated two °ĶĄč·čĀķŠć business administration students out of an opportunity to visit Kingston, Ont. in mid-winter, the duo now have an international quality achievement that will serve to enhance their post-graduation resumes. As the °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćAccounting team, Kayla Berlinski and Zina Park earned a third-place finish at the Queenās University Intercollegiate Business Competition (ICBC), which draws post-secondary business student teams from around the world. Organizers describe the event as āCana...
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°ĶĄč·čĀķŠćhealth care grad launches her own business
January 21, 2021
A desire to better understand her motherās struggle with dementia, and support her through it, inspired Susan Kyle to go back to school. This Saturday, Kyle will be among the more than 2,000 °ĶĄč·čĀķŠć students receiving their credentials during OCās first-ever virtual convocation ceremony. āCongratulations to all of our graduating students from the Revelstoke and Salmon Arm campuses,ā says Joan Ragsdale, Regional Dean for Shuswap-Revelstoke. āOver the past year, youāve demonstrated resilience, determination and tremendous ...
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College Esthetics grad lets creativity shine
January 20, 2021
Grads celebrate educational achievements with virtual ceremony Jan. 23. Aja Zenuik knew she had an artistic eye and wanted to apply her creativity to an industry that would keep her skills in demand in the Okanagan and beyond. She found that opportunity through the Esthetics and Nail Technology certificate program at °ĶĄč·čĀķŠć. On Jan. 23, she will join more than 2,000 °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćstudents being recognized during the Collegeās first-ever online convocation ceremony which celebrates the efforts of students graduating from June 2020 ...
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°ĶĄč·čĀķŠćpartners with Durham and NorQuest Colleges to offer Medical Cannabis Essentials for Health Professionals
January 20, 2021
New course for health care providers explores rapidly-evolving medical cannabis use in Canada °ĶĄč·čĀķŠć is partnering with Durham College (DC) in Oshawa, ON and NorQuest College in Edmonton, Alta. to deliver a two-day Medical Cannabis Essentials for Health Professionals course. Facilitated live online over the weekend of Feb. 6 and 7, this unique introductory course is aimed at new and experienced health care professionals across Canada seeking to better understand medical cannabis in the context of client-centered care. ā...
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From Colleges to Communities: Lawson Foundation supports early childhood education project at °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćand partner PSEs
January 19, 2021
A major investment by the Lawson Foundation will support researchers from °ĶĄč·čĀķŠć and three partnering institutions in their innovative approach to advancing outdoor early learning and teaching across Canada. °ĶĄč·čĀķŠć has received a grant of $750,000 for a collaborative project with Bow Valley College, New Brunswick Community College and Saskatchewan Polytechnic called Outdoor Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education: From Colleges to Communities. This goal of the three-year project is to demonstrate a model of outd...
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Order up: °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćdebuts new take-away cookbook menu
January 19, 2021
°ĶĄč·čĀķŠćās restaurant, Infusions, is offering a unique way to get a taste of its popular collaborative cookbook, What We Cooked: A Compilation of Recipes During COVID Times, with a special take-away menu featuring dinners for two from the cookbook. Following the success of the sold-out cookbook ā now in itās second print run ā the Collegeās Culinary and Pastry Arts program selected five delicious dinner and five delectable dessert recipes from the cookbook to bring to life at Infusions with a special take-away initiative fr...
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CIBC gives scholarship boost to Indigenous students
January 18, 2021
When Maria Kruger graduates as a Certified Dental Assistant from °ĶĄč·čĀķŠć later this year, she will proudly stand among her people as a skilled professional. Kruger, who is of Okanagan/Shuswap descent, has a goal to graduate and work with people in her community on the Penticton Indian Band. āI want to see our people go into skilled trades and be able to support our own communities. Thatās one of my main goals,ā says Kruger, who also cites her two-year-old son as inspiration behind her return to school. A new donation from...
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Meet Pamela Rouse, Practical Nursing instructor
January 4, 2021
What is your education and experience? I was born in Vancouver and lived there until I moved to the Okanagan with my husband and two teenage children in 2010. I attended UBC and achieved my BScN and then specialized in orthopedics and adolescent medical/surgical care at B.C. Childrenās Hospital. I worked there for 20 years prior to starting my teaching career in the Practical Nursing program at Vancouver Community College. I began working at °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćon a term instructor ba...
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OCās Thurnheer sheds light on lessons from the pandemic in CPHR virtual roundtable
December 8, 2020
Laura Thurnheer, °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćās Associate Dean of Science, Technology and Health, was one of four panelists on the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) Canada virtual roundtable on Dec. 1. Titled, āIn Conversation with HR Leaders,ā the session saw human resources specialists from across Canada discuss next steps on workplace recovery from the pandemic, asking crucial questions around changes made in light of the pandemic, mental health and attracting and engaging talent. With close to 300 attendees, the event also g...
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Inaugural Student Chef Dinner and Pie Fundraiser winter highlights for Culinary Arts program
December 4, 2020
°ĶĄč·čĀķŠćās Culinary Arts program is serving up good cheer during the last month of 2020, with two new events that will showcase student creations and support the community simultaneously. On Dec. 10, Infusions Restaurant at the Kelowna campus will open its doors to welcome a limited number of guests for the inaugural Student Chef Dinner, a seven-course tasting experience. The evening gives students an opportunity to showcase their skills and the very best of Okanagan region cuisine. āThe Student Chef Dinner is a fantastic...
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Meet John Varga, Advanced GIS Certificate alumnus
November 26, 2020
Q: What was your program and month/year of graduation. A: The Advanced GIS Certificate, May 2019. Q: What is your hometown? A: Salmon Arm Q: What brought you to °ĶĄč·čĀķŠćover any other school? Why did you come to study here of all places? A: I met the instructor in a social situation, and she told me about the program. She was knowledgeable and personable. Q: Did you bring any other post-secondary education or training with you when you came into your program...
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Meet Collins Ahize, Infrastructure and Computing Technology alumnus
November 26, 2020
Q: What is your program and current year of study? Network and Telecommunications Engineering Technology (NTEN)*. *Previously Network and Telecommunications Engineering Technology Diploma, now the Infrastructure and Computing Technology Diploma. Q: Where is your hometown/country? A: I'm from Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Q: What brought you to Canada over any other country? A: I came to Canada for the first time in 2006 for an exchange summer program at Kalamalka Secondary ...
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Meet Roger Wheeler, Business Professor
November 26, 2020
Q: What is your education and background? A: I am a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) with bachelorās degrees in physical and health education, and physics, as well as masterās degrees in science (biomechanics) and business administration. Prior to teaching here at OC, I worked mostly in the public sector, first in government, then in health care, acting in a variety of consultant, manager and director roles. Q: What is your area of interest? A:...
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Meet Cemone Bredeson, Plumbing and Pipefitting instructor
November 25, 2020
Q: What is your education and background? A: I completed my trades training at BCIT to obtain my Red Seal certificate in the steamfitting and pipefitting trade. Iāve got a B Gas ticket for the Province of British Columbia. Iām also Red Seal-certified in Plumbing and am currently working on obtaining my Provincial Instructors Diploma at VCC. Q: What is your area of interest? A: I am intrigued by how the brain works to process information. I want to know more ab...
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