Learning & Programs
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 À¦°óSM. 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 ...
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OC partners with Durham and NorQuest Colleges to offer Medical Cannabis Essentials for Health Professionals
January 20, 2021
New course for health care providers explores rapidly-evolving medical cannabis use in Canada À¦°óSM is partnering with Durham College (DC) in Oshawa, ON and NorQuest College in Edmonton, Alta. to deliver a two-day Medical Cannabis Essentials for Health Professionals course. Facilitated live online over the weekend of Feb. 6 and 7, this unique introductory course is aimed at new and experienced health care professionals across Canada seeking to better understand medical cannabis in the context of client-centered care. “Since ad...
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From Colleges to Communities: Lawson Foundation supports early childhood education project at OC and partner PSEs
January 19, 2021
A major investment by the Lawson Foundation will support researchers from À¦°óSM and three partnering institutions in their innovative approach to advancing outdoor early learning and teaching across Canada. À¦°óSM has received a grant of $750,000 for a collaborative project with Bow Valley College, New Brunswick Community College and Saskatchewan Polytechnic called Outdoor Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education: From Colleges to Communities. This goal of the three-year project is to demonstrate a model of outdoor peda...
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Order up: OC debuts new take-away cookbook menu
January 19, 2021
À¦°óSM’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. ...
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CIBC gives scholarship boost to Indigenous students
January 18, 2021
When Maria Kruger graduates as a Certified Dental Assistant from À¦°óSM 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...
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Meet Pamela Rouse, Practical Nursing instructor
January 4, 2021
What is your education and experience? I was born in Vancouver and lived there until I moved to the Okanagan with my husband and two teenage children in 2010. I attended UBC and achieved my BScN and then specialized in orthopedics and adolescent medical/surgical care at B.C. Children’s Hospital. I worked there for 20 years prior to starting my teaching career in the Practical Nursing program at Vancouver Community College. I began working at OC on a term instructor basis in 2...
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OC’s Thurnheer sheds light on lessons from the pandemic in CPHR virtual roundtable
December 8, 2020
Laura Thurnheer, À¦°óSM’s Associate Dean of Science, Technology and Health, was one of four panelists on the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) Canada virtual roundtable on Dec. 1. Titled, “In Conversation with HR Leaders,†the session saw human resources specialists from across Canada discuss next steps on workplace recovery from the pandemic, asking crucial questions around changes made in light of the pandemic, mental health and attracting and engaging talent. With close to 300 attendees, the event also gave thos...
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Inaugural Student Chef Dinner and Pie Fundraiser winter highlights for Culinary Arts program
December 4, 2020
À¦°óSM’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...
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Meet John Varga, Advanced GIS Certificate alumnus
November 26, 2020
Q: What was your program and month/year of graduation. A: The Advanced GIS Certificate, May 2019. Q: What is your hometown? A: Salmon Arm Q: What brought you to OC over any other school? Why did you come to study here of all places? A: I met the instructor in a social situation, and she told me about the program. She was knowledgeable and personable. Q: Did you bring any other post-secondary education or training with you when you came into your program? A: A ...
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Meet Collins Ahize, Infrastructure and Computing Technology alumnus
November 26, 2020
Q: What is your program and current year of study? Network and Telecommunications Engineering Technology (NTEN)*. *Previously Network and Telecommunications Engineering Technology Diploma, now the Infrastructure and Computing Technology Diploma. Q: Where is your hometown/country? A: I'm from Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Q: What brought you to Canada over any other country? A: I came to Canada for the first time in 2006 for an exchange summer program at Kalamalka Secondary in Verno...
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Meet Roger Wheeler, Business Professor
November 26, 2020
Q: What is your education and background? A: I am a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) with bachelor’s degrees in physical and health education, and physics, as well as master’s degrees in science (biomechanics) and business administration. Prior to teaching here at OC, I worked mostly in the public sector, first in government, then in health care, acting in a variety of consultant, manager and director roles. Q: What is your area of interest? A: I am ke...
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Meet Cemone Bredeson, Plumbing and Pipefitting instructor
November 25, 2020
Q: What is your education and background? A: I completed my trades training at BCIT to obtain my Red Seal certificate in the steamfitting and pipefitting trade. I’ve got a B Gas ticket for the Province of British Columbia. I’m also Red Seal-certified in Plumbing and am currently working on obtaining my Provincial Instructors Diploma at VCC. Q: What is your area of interest? A: I am intrigued by how the brain works to process information. I want to know more about how ...
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Culinary Arts students help take a bite out of food insecurity, one apple at a time
November 24, 2020
As the Okanagan days start to get shorter and orchardists wrap up their harvest for the year, Culinary Arts students at the College’s Kelowna campus are busy transforming apples into healthy snacks for the community. Earlier in the fall semester, the Okanagan Fruit Tree Project (OFTP) approached the College’s Culinary Arts team with an idea: could culinary classes somehow help process apple donations into snacks, going into backpacks for local students in need? The answer was a resounding yes. With some creative thought on how to best me...
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Revelstoke, Vernon student access improves with special Health Care Assistant program intake
November 23, 2020
Training for one of B.C.’s most in-demand professions is coming to Revelstoke and Vernon this January, in a special intake designed to make the most of À¦°óSM’s blended learning opportunities. “The need for health care assistants across B.C. has never been greater. Join the frontlines and be a health-care hero for our most vulnerable citizens while also building a career for yourself,†said Sandra Hohmann, Recruiter, Interior Health. The intake will feature OC’s signature hands-on learning in labs, allowing students to build the...
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College launches Applied Bachelor of Arts degree
November 23, 2020
New four-year degree focuses on community research and evaluation Who will be the future change-makers in our communities? Who will help organizations tackle the most pressing social issues we are faced with as a society? The answer might just be the graduates of a new program unlike any before it in the region. À¦°óSM has received provincial approval for its first new degree program in more than 15 years – and its focus couldn’t be timelier. The Applied Bachelor of Arts: Community Research and Evaluation is a four-year baccala...
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Meet Mariah Perry
November 19, 2020
Tell us your full name! Mariah Perry What did you study at OC? I took the Practical Nursing Diploma program in Kelowna and graduated in June of 2019. What did you enjoy most about your program? There were so many things I loved about the Practical Nursing program. I loved how fast it was. It took just less than two years to complete and it was very reassuring knowing that once I graduated there were so many job opportunities out there that I could start right away. I was ver...
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