Students
Knuever Legacy Fund makes major investment in Vernon students
March 30, 2021
A new awards fund at AV will more than double the value of annual support available for students attending the Vernon campus. Kurt and Jutta Knuever have donated $210,000 to create the K&J Knuever Legacy Awards, which will provide up to $70,000 annually in tuition and living support to students entering trades programs or the Health Care Assistant program over the next three years. The awards reflect the value the Knuever family place on education, especially hands-on skills training that can add value to an individual’s...
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OC business students take trio of first-place finishes at Enactus Western Canada Regionals
March 30, 2021
AV business students enjoyed a fruitful victory at the Enactus Western Canada Regionals, earning three first-place finishes and ensuring their ticket to the National Competition in May. The Regional competition took place last week in a virtual format with teams from a multitude of post-secondary institutions submitting their student-created and student-run initiatives that seek to positively impact communities in a social, economic or environmental way. The award-winning OC Enactus initiative FruitSnaps was entered – and w...
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Going back to school in COVID-times: How OC supports mature students in our communities
March 29, 2021
In my years as a post-secondary administrator, I’ve had a front row seat to innumerable examples of how education truly does transforms lives, which in turn benefits and transforms our communities. As AV’s Regional Dean for the Shuswap-Revelstoke, by far some of the most inspiring and remarkable stories I’ve been fortunate to witness over the years have been those of our mature students. Working parents, who have summoned the courage and the will to go back into the classroom, level up their skills, maybe make a 180-degree c...
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Long connection inspires major gift by Friesen family
March 22, 2021
A decades-long connection to AV and a desire to give back to community is inspiring a $150,000 donation by the Friesen family to the AV Foundation. The family gift will support the Our Students, Your Health campaign to complete and equip the College’s new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. The gift reflects a strong connection to the College. Dianne Friesen worked at AV in the mid-1970s. In 1984, her husband Rod started Voyager RV and their son Jason who is running the business is grate...
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Meet Ayden Clark, Business Administration student
March 19, 2021
Q: What’s your hometown? A: Salmon Arm, I’ve lived here for most of my life. Q: How did you end up at AV? A: Honestly it was a number of different things that had me deciding on AV. The biggest contributor was the location, the Shuswap is a beautiful area and I have family here in Salmon Arm. Q: How did you choose your program? A: Nearing the completion of high school, I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to do afterwards. In the end I decided on...
Read more...Nighttime noshing and homework help: OC students gear up for Long Night Against Procrastination
March 18, 2021
The power of pizza among peers is greater than procrastination. With end-of-term deadlines in sight, organizers of the popular AV Long Night Against Procrastination are ready to offer up snacks, prizes and solidarity to students facing winter term finals. Long Night Against Procrastination started at the Penticton campus in 2015, with students converging on campus for late-night cram sessions with help from faculty, librarians and Success Centre coordinators. The annual event helped students meet end-of-term deadlines with...
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Meet Janet McLeish, Criminal and Social Justice student
March 15, 2021
Q: What’s your hometown? A: Portmore, Jamaica W.I. Q: How did you end up at AV? A: I wanted to explore the possibility for a career change or merging of my previous career experiences with a new career path. I went to an OC recruitment activity in Kingston, Jamaica, then applied for the program and was successful. Q: How did you choose the Criminal and Social Justice program? A: I worked in the human services prior to coming to Canada and believe this...
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College culinary program supports students facing food insecurity
March 15, 2021
When Mariko Nagata picks up a free lunch at AV she likens it to a warm hug. The mother of two was laid off during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic giving her a chance to return to school and enrol in the Culinary and Pastry Arts program. Now, she's helping cook healthy meals that not only support her during her studies but a range of fellow students who are facing food insecurity. “It's nice to be able to access this help and the food is always so beautifully presented,” says Nagata. “I think it makes a difference in a l...
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Retired nurse donates $50k to Health Sciences Centre
March 11, 2021
Many things have changed since Delphine Stone went to nursing school more than 60 years ago, but she’s sure one element still holds true: the positive role education plays in one’s life. In honour of the value of education, Stone is donating $50,000 to the Our Students, Your Health campaign for a new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. “AV really changed my life,” recalls Stone, who was the youngest of 11 children and grew up on a farm near Battleford, Saskatchewan. Stone remembers receiving a $100 award from the Hosp...
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Enactus OC’s CANsave program celebrates remarkable reach, new financial literacy resources for youth with diverse needs
March 9, 2021
AV’s Enactus team is marking a memorable milestone this month, having mentored more than 50,000 Canadian children through its CANsave financial literacy program – and the program’s latest focus may be its most inspiring yet. Developed entirely by AV students, CANsave teaches youth important financial literacy skills like saving for tomorrow, differences between good and bad debt, and the importance of saving to help others in need. CANsave launched in 2016 with a focus on teaching students in Grades 1 a...
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AV automotive program receives donation from Ford of Canada and Orchard Ford
March 8, 2021
Contribution of a 2020 Ford F-150 will allow students to gain valuable hands-on experience Automotive trades students at AV are getting a big boost for their education with the arrival of a shiny new training tool on which they can hone their skills. Ford of Canada and Orchard Ford are donating a 2020 Ford F-150 to the College to be used by students in its automotive service training programs. The vehicle has arrived at the Kelowna campus and will be put to good use in the shop immediately, notes Dean of Trades Steve Moores....
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Student housing initiative announcement
March 5, 2021
To the AV community, Earlier today, B.C. Premier John Horgan, Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu, and OC President Jim Hamilton – joined by Business Administration student Evan Smith – announced an important student housing initiative that will see 376 more beds added to the College’s housing stock. The project involves buildings in Kelowna (216 beds), Vernon (100 beds) and Salmon Arm (60 beds) and will cost a total of $67.5 million, with the province contribution $36.3 million in grants, another $30.2 million in loans and...
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Meet Kurt Albrechtsen, Kinesiology student
March 4, 2021
Q: What’s your hometown? A: I’m from Williams Lake, located in the Cariboo region. Q: How did you end up at AV? A: I originally made my choice to come to OC by the recommendation of a friend who had attended previously and had a wonderful experience here. Q: How did you choose your program? A: After playing rugby and soccer all through my life, and having experienced injuries from both, as well as other activities like mountain biking and boxing, I found t...
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College offers summer courses and virtual information sessions to help students get ahead
March 4, 2021
Summer plans uncertain because of COVID? AV is once again offering its summer session courses online and via flexible distance education options to help students get ahead on their studies. The College’s first summer session of online courses will run May 10-June 18 and the second summer session begins on July 5. Distance education courses start on May 10 and run through late August. Current and prospective students can now explore courses and register online at www.okanagan.bc.ca/summer. To check course availability, you c...
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CFUW Kelowna celebrates 60 years of empowering women
February 26, 2021
Before there was AV or the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), a small group of women met to discuss how they could contribute to their community and promote higher education for women. Today, that group, known as the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Kelowna chapter, are celebrating 60 years of community impact and support for female students. More than $175,000 has been donated to female students at AV over the last 30 years including eight awards for students this year alone. “If we...
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Indigenous Awards drives support for OC students
February 24, 2021
Kamloops’ Austin MacArthur moved to Kelowna to attend AV’s Automotive Service Technician program to unlock a lifelong dream of becoming a mechanic – a dream fueled in part by the Irving K. Barber BC Scholarship Society’s Indigenous Student awards. MacArthur is one of over 600 BC Indigenous students who shared more than $2.2 million in awards from the Society in support of post-secondary studies. The Society’s Indigenous Award program is one of six award programs and was created to assist in removing barriers to higher educati...
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