Students
OC students get primed for financial success
February 16, 2021
A local partnership with a non-profit company, Launch Financial AVĚěĚĂ Society (Launch Okanagan), is powering up to help AVĚěĚĂ students boost their financial literacy this spring. Starting March 2, OC students will benefit from a free financial literacy program hosted online by Launch Okanagan. The Primer for Life series is an interactive, five-week program that offers students a chance to learn about their relationship with money, consumerism, budgeting, saving and credit. A number of AVĚěĚĂ Business students ...
Read more...
A date with OC: A Valentine’s dinner surprise
February 9, 2021
Last minute Valentine’s day plans aren’t always the most memorable, but AVĚěĚĂ’s restaurant, Infusions, has a solution for you this Saturday that offers an unforgettable dining twist – everything is a surprise. What do we know about this surprise evening? Infusions Restaurant is opening its doors this Saturday, Feb. 13, to offer diners a Valentine’s culinary adventure to remember, where they won’t know what dish is coming out next. Diners will sit down for a five-course dinner menu created by OC Pastry Arts chef Danny Capadouca...
Read more...
Experience OC takes post-secondary explorations virtual
February 5, 2021
Experience OC, from the safety of home. The College’s premiere participation event for prospective students is making the leap to the online world, with virtual Experience OC sessions 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 world t...
Read more...
OC Business students shine at international competition
January 28, 2021
While COVID-19 travel restrictions cheated two AVĚěĚĂ 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 OC Accounting team, Kayla Berlinski and Zina Park earned a third-place finish at the Queen’s University Intercollegiate Business Competition (ICBC), which draws post-secondary business student teams from around the world. Organizers describe the event as “Canada’s lar...
Read more...
OC health care grad launches her own business
January 21, 2021
A desire to better understand her mother’s 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 AVĚěĚĂ students receiving their credentials during OC’s first-ever virtual convocation ceremony. “Congratulations to all of our graduating students from the Revelstoke and Salmon Arm campuses,” says Joan Ragsdale, Regional Dean for Shuswap-Revelstoke. “Over the past year, you’ve demonstrated resilience, determination and tremendous flexibil...
Read more...
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 AVĚěĚĂ. On Jan. 23, she will join more than 2,000 OC students being recognized during the College’s first-ever online convocation ceremony which celebrates the efforts of students graduating from June 2020 to this ...
Read more...
Order up: OC debuts new take-away cookbook menu
January 19, 2021
AVĚěĚĂ’s 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 – now in it’s second print run – the College’s 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 from Jan. ...
Read more...
Empowering Employment: College to host virtual employment fair in Feb
January 18, 2021
AVĚěĚĂ is powering up a new virtual employment fair next month to help connect students, alumni, job seekers in the community and employers from across the region. Empowering Employment is a virtual career fair to be held on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Anyone interested in attending as a job seeker or showcasing their business as an exhibitor can learn more at www.okanagan.bc.ca/empowering. Exhibitor space, although virtual, is still limited and so interested organizations should plan to register soon to ensure their s...
Read more...
CIBC gives scholarship boost to Indigenous students
January 18, 2021
When Maria Kruger graduates as a Certified Dental Assistant from AVĚěĚĂ 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. “I want to see our people go into skilled trades and be able to support our own communities. That’s one of my main goals,” says Kruger, who also cites her two-year-old son as inspiration behind her return to school. A new donation from CIBC al...
Read more...
Together, from afar: an AVĚěĚĂ graduation ceremony unlike any other
January 15, 2021
In a year unlike any other, AVĚěĚĂ student Kenzie Gorjanc found herself adapting to new ways of learning to complete her education. On Jan. 23, she will join more than 2,000 OC students who will don virtual caps and gowns as they are recognized during the College’s first-ever online convocation ceremony. Graduates, along with their family, friends and supporters in the community are invited to tune in and watch the pre-recorded virtual ceremony starting at 10:30 a.m. next Saturday. To view the ceremony and learn more, visit www...
Read more...
OC Enactus helps young females navigate the future
January 15, 2021
AVĚěĚĂ’s nationally recognized Enactus team is kicking off the new year with new community-initiatives, including a program preparing local young females to navigate their future with confidence, positive self-image and the know-how to tackle the world of job hunting. The project, Ivy Collective, is a free skills development program that supports females aged 15-18 through a series of one-hour online training workshops. Topics include public speaking, job application skills and confidence-building strategies. The first workshop...
Read more...
Collegial effort cooks up a recipe book for student support
December 16, 2020
After compiling recipes into a delectable read, the What We Cooked: A Compilation of Recipes During COVID Times cookbook is available for purchase. The idea for the book started when a team of College library staff members noticed their online daily conversations constantly reverted to food. With a hunger to support the community in a time of isolation and invite others to connect on a relatable subject, What We Cooked was born. All proceeds raised from book sales will go towards the AVĚěĚĂ Students’ Union and the Vernon Stude...
Read more...
Enactus’ FruitSnaps transitions into social enterprise
December 8, 2020
The award-winning Enactus initiative FruitSnaps is now running as a social enterprise after the student-run team recently launched apple juice boxes. The direct result of an abundant number of apples over the fall semester, the five-litre boxes of fresh apple juice are now available locally and online for purchase. All proceeds go back into the program and help to keep it sustainable. OC alumni, staff and community members were among the first people who showed up to help the Enactus team pick the approximately 13,000 pounds of apples that...
Read more...
Inaugural Student Chef Dinner and Pie Fundraiser winter highlights for Culinary Arts program
December 4, 2020
AVĚěĚĂ’s 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. “The Student Chef Dinner is a fantastic opportu...
Read more...
OC Vernon student donates artwork in memory of instructor
December 2, 2020
An AVĚěĚĂ student has donated a beautiful piece of artwork which she hopes will inspire others as much as the instructor who inspired her. While it might not be uncommon to find a periodic table adorning the hallways of a post-secondary institution, AVĚěĚĂ’s Vernon campus is now home to one unlike any other in the world. The unique piece of artwork is in honour of former instructor Donna Leigh Goodman, who taught Adult Basic AVĚěĚĂ (also known as Adult Upgrading) programs including science and mathematics courses f...
Read more...
Thorpe and Friends Scholarship recognizes three South Okanagan students
November 25, 2020
Isaac Halverson was visiting a friend when he learned he was a recipient of this year’s Rick and Yasmin Thorpe and Friends Scholarship Fund, but this did not stop him from running around the house screaming in excitement after reading the news. “It was incredible. I’ve heard about the award before, and I know friends who’ve received it,” says Halverson, who previously attended Princess Margaret Secondary School in Penticton. Halverson is now in his first year at AVĚěĚĂ taking engineering. “It’s a lot of money, and it means a lot...
Read more...