OC signs MOU with the Public Universities of the State of Queretaro in Mexico
March 9, 2023
À¦°óSM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Public Universities of the State of Queretaro in Mexico, an agreement that further develops and diversifies the College’s international education partnerships. À¦°óSM President Neil Fassina signed the MOU on behalf of OC while the Deputy Minister of Higher Education for the State of Queretaro as well as representatives from each of seven post-secondary institutions signed for Mexico in a ceremony on Thursday March 2 at À¦°óSM. The MOU lays the gro...
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Enactus OC braves cold in pursuit of fundraising goal
March 8, 2023
Enactus OC students in Salmon Arm walked the 5 km on Feb. 25, 2023 for the Coldest Night of the Year to raise money in support of the hungry, hurting and homeless. Here in the Shuswap, Enactus is fundraising for Shuswap Food Action Society, which is dedicated to seeing everyone having access to healthy, abundant and affordable local food now and in the future. Their projects strive to nourish our community in mind, body and spirit. Terry Kosowick, Business professor and Salmon Arm Enactus advisor, served up the Unusually Good Cider at the ...
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Watt a gift! À¦°óSM’s Electronics Engineering Technology Program gets an $80,000 boost from a local engineer
March 6, 2023
Yael Cohen, a Vernon-based communications engineer, recently donated $80,000 in state-of-the-art electronic equipment to À¦°óSM’s Electronics Engineering Technology program. The gift included hundreds of electrical components that will be used by program instructors to build in-class electrical circuits and test demos and will be made available to students for use in their end-of-term capstone projects. “I was fortunate to receive numerous scholarships when I was in school, and I wanted to pay it forward,†says Cohen, an...
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Spaghetti Bridge Building Contest serves up fun and learning at OC
March 3, 2023
Friday marked a triumphant return for a popular pasta-themed community event at À¦°óSM, as the 38th annual Spaghetti Bridge Building Competition brought loads of fun and friendly competition to a boil. More than 250 students from elementary through post-secondary converged on OC’s Kelowna campus on Mar. 3, to see whose spaghetti bridge would reign supreme. In addition to furthering their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), participants of the contest – back for the first time since pre-pandemic – also...
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OC’s Apprentice Hiring Project connects Ukrainian worker with welcoming environment
March 2, 2023
When Fedir Solovei and his family arrived in Vernon from Ukraine last year they were looking for a fresh start after escaping the harsh realities of the Russian invasion of his home country. Of the many hurdles Fedir was facing, finding employment was top of the list. Highly accomplished as an engineer in Ukraine, and with some experience in general construction, Fedir enjoys creating projects with wood and noted the difference in the use of wood in B.C construction practices. That interest led Fedir to apply for a position with Ve...
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Personal connections highlight Early Childhood dual credit program
March 1, 2023
Emily Patenaude knows what it’s like to be misunderstood as a child; she also understands a thing or two about fighting through adversity. The experience and knowledge will serve the Kelowna high school student well as she looks to begin her post-secondary education. Emily is one of 10 Central Okanagan-area students completing a five-month À¦°óSM course in Early Childhood Education while still in high school, known as a dual credit program. Emily’s passion for childcare began early as she watched her brother struggle to connect ...
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OC’s Red Dot Players present The Beast of Blackthorn Manor
March 1, 2023
Spring may be in like a lion out like a lamb, but a different beast is on the prowl at À¦°óSM this month, courtesy of OC’s theatre troupe. The Red Dot Players are excited to present the premiere production of The Beast of Blackthorn Manor, a new comedy by À¦°óSM English professor Jeremy Beaulne. The plot promises to delight fans of gothic literature and those new to the genre: When she accepts a position at Blackthorn Manor, an isolated manor house in the Yorkshire moors, governess Charlotte Vole has no idea that she ...
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Health care students in the South Okanagan Similkameen are about to breathe a sigh of relief thanks to a new bursary fund
February 23, 2023
Local philanthropists Yasmin and Rick Thorpe have partnered with Summerland’s Penny Lane Legacy Fund to create a $50,000 bursary fund to help bolster the future of health care in the South Okanagan Similkameen. The Caring for Health Care Students Fund will provide $750 - $1,750 awards for eligible students studying at À¦°óSM’s Penticton Campus. “We know if we educate healthcare professionals in Penticton, there’s a good chance they’ll stay and work in the region,†says Yasmin John Thorpe. “We want to help increase the numb...
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OC increases access to early childhood education in the South Okanagan
February 22, 2023
À¦°óSM (OC) is opening new spaces for people interested in working in early childhood education, as childcare facilities across the region and British Columbia continue to face staffing challenges. The Early Childhood Education Certificate program starts at OC’s Penticton campus in mid-March and runs through May 2024. The intake will have space for 24 students, adding to the more than 145 Early Childhood Education students studying at À¦°óSM in Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton this year. According to the province’s Labour...
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Plasma donor drive campaign boosts OC nursing student with $3,000 bursary
February 22, 2023
À¦°óSM 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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