Students
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 āstraighten up.ā 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 opportunity t...
Read more...Pushor Mitchell invests in mental health
January 28, 2020
Pushor Mitchell is donating $30,000 to aid ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē 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 Collegeās 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 their life...
Read more...ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē Communications students level-up video game studies
January 27, 2020
One ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē Communications class brought multi-player action to a whole-new level this week. The Introduction to Video Game Studies (CMNS 290) class travelled to Scandia Golf and Games Tuesday night, as part of an exploration on the history of video games. The course explores video games as a cultural phenomenon. While highly popular, they are the least understood, theorized and explored form of media. Scandia posed an opportunity for the class to explore how the phenomenon began. āScandia is something of a time capsule,ā explai...
Read more...ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē Vernon open house offers a behind-the-scenes look at fine press printing
January 22, 2020
Have you ever wondered how books were printed 100 years ago? This month ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē is kicking off a series of Open Houses at the Vernon Campus for creative individuals interested in writing and publishing careers. The College will open its doors on Jan. 31, Feb 28 and March 20 from 2 ā 4 p.m. in Room E102 at 7000 College Way. Parking will be free. Participants can meet experienced faculty members, learn about how the program blends traditional and cutting-edge publishing techniques and tour the ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē Print Shop, affection...
Read more...HR duo from Collegeās School of Business earn podium finish at Queenās
January 21, 2020
Madison Friesen and Alivia Leibbrand earned a second-place finish at the 2020 Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (I.C.B.C.). at Queenās University. āMy heart exploded when they called our name for second! It was such an emotional moment. All that hard work was so worth it,ā said Friesen. āI couldnāt have done it without Roger and of course Alivia. I was so honoured to represent our amazing College.ā The event, which took place Jan. 16-18 in Kingston, ON, is Canadaās largest, oldest, and most esteemed undergraduate case competition. ...
Read more...Bannock taco day fundraiser returns to fuel student success at ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē Salmon Arm Campus
January 20, 2020
A popular fundraiser that provides emergency aid for students at ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ēās Salmon Arm campus is this week. Community members are invited to join students and staff for a delicious lunch for a good cause. Bannock tacos will be served in the Gathering Place on campus, 2552 10th Ave NE, Salmon Arm, from 11 a.m. ā 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The lunch is by donation. The event is led by Caroline Chartier, Indigenous Transition Planner for the campus and ingredients are supplied by the Collegeās Indigenous Services department. Do...
Read more...First grad of ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ēās new HR Post-Bacc reflects on her experience
January 18, 2020
ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ēās first graduating class of the new decade will cross the stage today and among the some 600 grads picking up their parchment will be Elaine Bertram who is celebrating an exciting first for herself and the School of Business. Bertram is the inaugural graduate of the Collegeās Human Resources Management Post-Baccalaureate Diploma program. āWhen they told me I was the first graduate of the program I was shocked ā but in a good way,ā says Bertram. āIt's an honour to be the first graduate.ā The program, which launched in th...
Read more...Collegeās 13th Annual Business Expo & Employment Fair powers up Tech Alley collaboration
January 17, 2020
Jobseekers, mark your calendars. ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ēās popular Business Expo & Employment Fair is back for its thirteenth year, once again connecting students and community members with a diverse array of employers from the Okanagan and across the country. The ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē School of Business and ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ēās Student, Graduate and Co-op Employment Centre is presenting the 13th Annual Business Expo & Employment Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The event is held at ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ēās Kelowna campus in the Centre for Learning (E building) Atrium fr...
Read more...New ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē grad proud of setting an example for her children
January 16, 2020
It was being a role model for her children that motivated Katie Reynders to return to school as a mature student. She wanted to show them itās never too late to follow your dreams. āThere were days I wanted to give up, but I knew I had two little people not only counting on me, but looking up to me,ā says Reynders. āI think itās really important that they got to see me go back to school while also raising them. As parents we constantly question if what we are doing is good for our kids and there was a lot of guilt when I wasnāt able to d...
Read more...Future caregivers given boost by Central Okanagan Foundation
January 14, 2020
An organization that helps to inspire and facilitate a great deal of philanthropy in the Okanagan is supporting future caregivers by donating to the new Health Sciences Centre currently being built at ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ēās Kelowna campus. The Central Okanagan Foundation is donating $28,000 from the Kelowna Home Support Society Fund towards the construction of the new Centre, which will educate Health Care Assistants, Nurses and Therapist Assistants, among other professions. Marliss Magas sat on the board of Kelowna Home Support Society that...
Read more...ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē students and staff coordinate exhibit, awareness activities for Sexual Assault Awareness Month
January 10, 2020
January is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē students and staff are hosting a number of activities and initiatives to continue to raise awareness, open dialogue, support survivors and help prevent sexual violence on campus and in the community. One of the projects, an exhibit called What Were You Wearing, brings to ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē a popular exhibit that has been recreated at post-secondary institutions across North America since it debuted in the U.S. seven years ago. From Jan. 13-15 at the Vernon campus and again in Kelowna from Jan...
Read more...ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē Business students ready to bring their best at International case competition
January 8, 2020
Although it may be their first time competing together, a pair of business students and up-and-coming HR professionals at ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē have their sights set on bringing home the hardware at a prestigious international case competition. The Collegeās School of Business will send three teams to compete in the 2020 Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (I.C.B.C.). at Queenās University next week. One of those teams is the HR duo of Madison Freisen and Alivia Leibbrand, coached by ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē Business Professor Roger Wheeler. āWeāre looking forw...
Read more...ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē Culinary Arts debuts Indigenous-inspired feature menu for Dine Around
January 8, 2020
Infusions Restaurant at ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē will once again be a canāt miss stop for anyone looking to sip, savour and save as part of Dine Around Thompson Okanagan this month. ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē Chefs-in-training and chef instructors have designed a menu that not only showcases Okanagan ingredients but also incorporates aspects of traditional Syilx-Okanagan culinary knowledge and practices. āThis year weāve added a selection of Indigenous fare, along with other daily features, to provide a culinary experience that is truly unique to the region,ā explains ...
Read more...Students savour traditional flavours and practices on Indigenous Culinary Arts field trip
June 26, 2019
Salmon fillets roast on stakes over an open fire while roe bubbles up in a steaming pot of vegetable and fish soup nearby. These are signs of a finished and ready-to-eat meal, yet indicate the start of something special cooking here at ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē. On a field trip to the Westbank First Nation in May, ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ēās Indigenous Culinary Arts class had the opportunity to learn about the traditional Okanagan-Syilx style of cooking in a hands-on experience, hosted by Elders Pamela and Grouse Barnes. The gastronomic outing contained a variety of chop...
Read more...Start the presses! Writing and Publishing Diploma returns to Vernon
May 6, 2019
Publishing isnāt dead ā just experiencing an explosive rebirth as storytelling undergoes a digital transformation. To meet the content needs of the coming generation, the Writing and Publishing Diploma program at ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē returns to the Vernon campus starting in September. The program infuses the range of English, creative writing, editing and communications material with applied technical skills in graphic design, typography, coding and book publishing, producing students who can publish quality content in a range of media. For ...
Read more...ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē student learns and leads as part of Launch-a-Preneur
March 8, 2019
The student has become a teacher in Shuswap Launch-a-Preneur. The Salmon Arm-based business competition has helped propel Laureen Shannon, a fourth-year Business student at ĀŅĀ×ŗ£½Ē, on a business development trajectory fuelled by community connections. "I love this program. Once youāre in a launch, youāre in it for life,ā Shannon explains. "We always follow up how they are doing, cross-promoting their business." She began her studies in Office Administration, which capped off with a six-week practicum working with the Salmon Arm...
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