Students
Enactus OC makes massive impact at Canadian Nationals
May 10, 2023
Enactus AVÌìÌÃ’s innovative social enterprise the Unusually Good Food Company placed second out of over 70 college and university teams in Canada at the Enactus Canada Nationals last week in Montreal, while the group was also honoured with several team and individual awards. President MacKenna Lenarcic, who has now completed her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the School of Business at OC, was named the HSBC Women Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year, receiving a $5,000 award to go towards her educational and ...
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Unusually Good Food Company back to Canadian Nationals
May 1, 2023
A year after winning the Canadian nationals and placing in the top four at the Enactus World Cup, AVÌìÌà students are back on the national stage this week, presenting aggressive expansion plans for their social enterprise the Unusually Good Food Company to top Canadian business leaders. Enactus OC will compete against students from other Canadian business schools this week at the Enactus Canada Nationals in Montreal, presenting an update on Unusually Good Food, the business that has taken off, producing apple juice, apple chips a...
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AVÌìÌà Arts and Foundational AVÌìÌà hosts community showcase
April 27, 2023
From the written word to graphic design artistry and more, OC’s Arts and Foundational AVÌìÌà (AFP) is opening its doors for a unique community showcase next week. The AFP Community Showcase event is happening on May 2, 2023, from 6-9 p.m. in the Centre for Learning Atrium (E building) at the Kelowna Campus. The event is free and all are welcome. The AFP Community Showcase aims to celebrate exceptional work from students, instructors, and faculty in Adult Upgrading, Adult Special AVÌìÌÃ, Arts, and English Language at...
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OC students represent Spain and the UK in Model NATO delegation
April 26, 2023
A delegation of AVÌìÌà students recently returned from a cross-Canada adventure where they took part in a unique exercise, to represent Spain and the United Kingdom in the Carleton Model NATO, participating in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) and the Military Committee (MC). Student representative Dandara Peraro de Sousa reflected on the experience, “Model NATO was a great learning experience, I met incredible students from OC and universities in Canada, and now I understand better how NATO works and its role i...
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Enactus OC’s Unusually Good Food Co. expands to 19 cities
April 14, 2023
Student entrepreneurs from AVÌìÌà (OC) are taking their fight against food waste and food insecurity to more businesses throughout Western Canada, as their social enterprise the Unusually Good Food Co. is expanding. With the goal of donating one-million servings of apple chips to children, the Unusually Good Food Co. has formed a partnership with Loblaw Companies Limited, expanding to 19 cities in Western Canada with its line of apple juice. “This is so exciting for our social enterprise to be able to partner with such a well-kn...
Read more...Election for AVÌìÌà Council
April 6, 2023
Election for AVÌìÌà Council AVÌìÌà Council elections for regional seats for Faculty or Vocational Instructors are being held from April 17 to April 21. Two candidates will be declared elected by acclamation: Tim Walters (Shuswap Revelstoke) and Leanne Mallory (North Okanagan). Elections will be held for the following seats: Central Okanagan Brian Penfound Kathryn Truant Youry Khmelevsky South Okanagan Similkameen Sydney Acton Collin Wallace New this Year: Elections will be online through ElectionBuddy, an on...
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Same studies, but worlds apart: OC student enriched by study abroad
April 4, 2023
For one AVÌìÌà student, studying abroad turned into an opportunity to learn new ways of preserving old traditions in one of the most fast-paced countries in the world. Jillian Seronik, a fourth-year Bachelor of Business Administration student from Kelowna, travelled to Nisshin, Japan, last term as part of AVÌìÌÃ’s mobility program. She had always wanted to do post-secondary studies abroad but her dream of international studies was put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, she signed up for mobility updates in the o...
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Trades, tech and triumph: OC hosts 2023 Skills Canada BC Regionals
March 16, 2023
Sparks flew, culinary creations delighted, and electronic expertise was on display as more than 100 competitors converged at AVÌìÌÃ’s Kelowna campus for the 2023 SkillsBC Regional Trades and Technologies competition on Friday, Feb. 24. Skills Canada Regionals tests the skills and knowledge of junior and high school students, college trades students and apprentices across a wide array of trades and technology competitions – Architectural CAD, Cabinetmaking, Culinary Arts, Electronics, Welding, Jr. Skills Gravity Vehicle, Jr. Skill...
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OC students ‘newcomer neighbour’ thrift store program captures design thinking accolades
March 16, 2023
Growing up in Victoria, AVÌìÌà student Kimberly Cornell remembers spending time at Royal Roads University, hanging out on the university grounds after school waiting for her mom to finish work. Now in post-secondary school herself, she joined forces with fellow OC students Eric Worman and Nicole Benevides to place second in Royal Roads’ Design Thinking Challenge, a competition that offers teams of undergraduate business students an opportunity to contribute to a real-world challenge. This year’s event tackled the question of how...
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Children polish oral health skills with Certified Dental Assistant student expertise
March 14, 2023
If children’s smiles are shining a bit brighter in Kelowna these days, it may be due to the influence of AVÌìÌà students. More than 700 children between Kindergarten and Grade 5 received free oral health education through February, as OC Certified Dental Assistant students shared what they have learned through a special community outreach program at elementary schools in Kelowna. "The highlight of these oral health presentations to the children and families is the great sense of purpose and meaning the CDA students feel after th...
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Plasma donor drive campaign boosts OC nursing student with $3,000 bursary
February 22, 2023
AVÌìÌà nursing student Taylor Hubick learned a valuable lesson this year: persistence with plasma donation pays off. Hubick is the recipient of the Canadian Blood Services bursary of $3,000 for her studies in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, for recruiting 23 plasma donors between May and October last year. Hubick says she originally got recruited to donate by a friend who was studying on Vancouver Island. “She pulled out of the challenge because she was going travelling, and that’s when I realized I should do...
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College students mentoring high school peers for Sustainable Development Challenge
February 17, 2023
It’s students helping students tackle the biggest issues of our time. AVÌìÌà (OC) students have joined forces with youth leaders in Grades 8 to 12 in the Central Okanagan to provide mentorship on projects that will impact the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The high school teams are preparing for a local Sustainable Development Challenge event, inspired by the UN initiative, and are able to bounce their ideas and projects off OC students prior to the challenge finale later this month. VIDEO: OC students...
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College focused on training workers as new labour market outlook forecasts more than one million jobs
February 8, 2023
With more than 120,000 job openings expected in the Thompson-Okanagan in the next decade, AVÌìÌà wants to help people living across the region map out their education, skills training, and career paths. B.C.’s latest Labour Market Outlook was unveiled today and over the ten-year forecast period shows regional employment demand increasing by 1.4 per cent on average each year for the next decade. The top industries in Thompson-Okanagan by job openings include retail trade (excluding cars, online shopping and personal care), hospit...
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Update: Related to the cyber-incident, Jan. 2023
January 31, 2023
Dear OC community, Thank you for your continued support through the past few weeks. We recognize that there are many questions circulating and are making every effort to share information as it is confirmed through the ongoing and active investigation. Below are questions and answers addressing where we are today. AVÌìÌà will continue to provide updates as we are able, with a focus on prioritizing our community’s safety and security. Neil Fassina President, AVÌìÌà Was it ransomware? It would b...
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Update to the OC Community on the recent cyber-incident
January 30, 2023
Good afternoon OC students and staff, As you are aware, on Jan. 9, AVÌìÌà responded to an incident in which an unauthorized group gained access to our technology systems. As soon as the intrusion was detected, we took steps to contain the incident and engaged police and cyber-security experts to assist with the investigation of the incident and the restoration of our systems, both of which are active and ongoing. Specifically, we notified agencies including the RCMP, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for B....
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OC to celebrate first graduates of 2023
January 26, 2023
Amanda Jones will be one of hundreds of OC graduates taking a momentous step this weekend, as she and her peers cross the red carpet at the College’s first Convocation ceremonies of the year. And for the Penticton mother of two – who juggled a return to classroom with supporting a family and running a successful business during a global pandemic – the long-awaited moment brings feelings of pride and a continued desire to keep learning. AVÌìÌà will recognize graduates at two ceremonies in Kelowna on Saturday: 10:30 a.m. – Sc...
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