Meet Priscillia Lefebvre, Sociology Professor
October 19, 2020
What is your area of interest, research and/or creative work? I have a PhD in Sociology with a specialization in Political Economy from Carleton University. My research examines mental health within the context of the neoliberal restructuring of work and cuts to public funding around health care, social assistance and post-secondary education. I examine experiences of stress, worry and struggle within the political context of e...
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Meet Chris Newitt, Psychology Professor
October 19, 2020
What is your area of interest? I have a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver). My research interests are in social and moral decision making and the scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education. How did you know you had found your discipline? I found Psychology in second year. Initially I was interested in ground water sciences, but I took Psychology as an elective and things changed for me. I gravitated to...
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Meet Kerry Gilbert, Creative Writing Professor
October 19, 2020
When did you know you had found your discipline? When I took my first Creative Writing class with John Lent, at what was then Okanagan University College, I knew that I had found my ‘zing.’ Why did you choose to work at AV? I told John Lent, when I was a first year student, that I wanted to come back to take his job when he retired. What do you like the most about the work you do? I love to see student excitement and growth. Favourite teaching experience? ...
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Meet Ed Henczel, Communications Professor
October 19, 2020
What is your area of interest, research and/or creative work? I’m a communications professor with a masters of journalism. I focus my research/teaching on mass and social media and how it’s used to influence public perception When did you know you had found your discipline? I was working for a news organization in Kamloops. I started the day doing a tour of the local prison, then I interviewed the mayor (a former journalist) and spent the evening covering a Kamloops B...
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Meet Michael Saad, Communications Professor
October 19, 2020
What is your areas of interest? I teach in the Communications Department. I have a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Ottawa. My area of interest is identity development and relationship dynamics through digital space. I seek to understand how our ‘technoself’ is increasingly influencing our real-world decisions. When did you know you had found your discipline? After teaching my very first course. To see the students improve their skills and reach new heights...
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College hosting region-wide virtual open house
October 16, 2020
Participants eligible for $5,000 tuition giveaway While the pandemic means prospective students can’t stop by to explore campuses physically this fall, AV is pulling out all the stops to host an interactive virtual open house to ensure students can still get questions answered. On Sunday, Nov. 8, from 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., future students, parents, high school counsellors and anyone looking to learn more about the College and its programs will have a chance to experience OC from the comfort of home. All those interested can...
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TD invests in health care equipment for students
October 15, 2020
A gift from TD Bank will ensure students entering health care professions are practising on state-of-the-art equipment. TD is donating $15,000 to AV’s Our Students, Your Health campaign towards a new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. The gift will support new equipment for the nursing lab, which will be used by future Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses and Health Care Assistants. “Part of creating better health outcomes for patients is to provide aspiring health care professionals with the right training, tools,...
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Visiting scholar discusses polarization over energy and climate in Canada: How bad is it? What’s to be done?
October 9, 2020
How can Canada chart a positive path for its energy and climate future amid polarization, partisanship and regional differences? Dr. Monica Gattinger, Director of the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, Full Professor at the School of Political Studies and Founder/Chair of Positive Energy at the University of Ottawa, will be delivering an online keynote delving into this topic on Friday, October 16 at 1 p.m. PST. Gattinger’s talk is presented by AV’s Department of Political Science, in conjunction with the BC Politica...
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Students thankful for new laptops
October 9, 2020
A donation from Staples Kelowna is helping AV students succeed in an online learning environment. In September, Staples donated laptops to eight students who do not have access to the technology needed to successfully participate and complete their programs online. Bree Edler was one of the recipients to receive a new Asus computer. “I’m in shock. I’ve never received anything like this before so I feel very fortunate,” says Edler. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Edler was a travel agent. With international travel ground t...
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Meet Ruby Pahtayken
October 7, 2020
What is your full name? Ruby Denise Pahtayken, kîhew Iskwēw- ᑭᐦᐁᐤ ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ. What program are you enrolled in at AV? Culinary Arts, currently in Professional Cook Level 2 for 2020. Where is your hometown? Onion Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan. Wîhcêkaskosîwî - Sâkahikanihk What brought you to OC? Why did you come to Kelowna to study? In pursuing my culinary career, I moved to Kelowna. I love that I come from the beautiful Cree plains and moved to a different t...
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