Learning & 51Ʒ
International Education Week highlights diversity at 51Ʒ
November 19, 2021
51Ʒ translated its diverse student population into a learning opportunity during International Education Week (IEW) as students and staff celebrated cultures and encouraged each other to experience what other countries had to offer. On Tuesday, Nov. 16, the Kelowna campus held language lessons at the Centre for Learning atrium, where student volunteers set up booths that others can visit to learn a bit more about various languages and cultures. Languages represented included Spanish, Punjabi, Hindi, Japanese, Chi...
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New year brings new career by starting studies in January
November 15, 2021
The coming year brings new career training opportunities for Shaylyn Douglas. Douglas will be returning to the classroom in January with her sights set on training to advance her career in health care at 51Ʒ. In addition to beginning the Practical Nursing Diploma program at the Penticton campus, Douglas received a financial boost to aid her studies when she won the $5,000 OC Tuition Giveaway Contest. “I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to pursue until I had the opportunity to interact with patients in the phys...
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New funding connects people to tourism careers in the Okanagan
November 15, 2021
The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has announced a program that will provide skills training to as many as 30 eligible British Columbians to prepare them for jobs in the hospitality industry in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions. “Graduates of this skills-training project will be qualified for a variety of jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors,” said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “The training participants receive will prepare them for exciting careers and give them...
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TOTA award remembers George Hanson, supports OC viticulture student
November 8, 2021
Winemaker George Hanson, who passed away in February, was widely acknowledged for his efforts to grow the B.C. wine scene. A new award funded by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) will commemorate his legacy, while helping a viticulture student at 51Ʒ to cultivate their future in the industry Hanson so dearly loved. TOTA has donated $1,500 to create the George Hanson Memorial Bursary, which will be open to students in the College’s Viticulture Certificate program starting in January. “We are very please...
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OC student wins completion grant as part of inaugural Tourism Management Diploma program
October 14, 2021
For one 51Ʒ student, embracing Tourism Management Diploma (TMD) studies at the Revelstoke Centre has truly paid off. Stephanie Sonsona has been named the recipient of the Revelstoke Accommodation Association’s completion grant for 2021, receiving $1,000 to support her education. She first began exploring post-secondary study options while in her home country of the Philippines, and was introduced to the TMD program through 51Ʒ’s International Education department. She was drawn to the new tourism-focused...
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New LPN Orthopaedic Program at OC Set to Start in January 2022
September 22, 2021
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) will have a learning option for advanced orthopaedic knowledge and skills that keeps them closer to home. The new LPN Orthopaedic Certificate offered at 51Ʒ (OC) is the first of its kind in British Columbia. Launching in January 2022, the online certificate program is set to increase access to advanced orthopaedic education for nurses throughout the province and minimize travel requirements. “This program will meet the provincial need for a local solution for training opportunities...
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Volunteers needed for a sweet cause: Enactus OC students invite community to join them in picking apples
September 17, 2021
A group of 51Ʒ business students are once again putting the call out for volunteers from OC and the community to help them harvest fruit that will be used to make healthy snacks for children and others in need. Launched in the fall of 2018, Fruit Snaps is a Vernon- and Penticton-based project co-ordinated by Enactus OC students in partnership with the North Okanagan Valley Gleaners Society facility. It’s focused on taking unused apples from local orchards and dehydrating them into snacks for local schools. The Fruit S...
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Incoming OC Salmon Arm student wins a $40,000 scholarship
August 31, 2021
Salmon Arm student Savannah Lamb has 40,000 reasons to be excited to begin her educational journey at 51Ʒ this fall. Thanks to an external $40,000 scholarship from the Beedie Luminaries foundation, Lamb will begin the Associate of Arts program at the College’s Salmon Arm campus in the fall, worry-free. “When I found out about receiving this scholarship, I was so surprised and it took me a while to process it,” says Lamb. “After it sunk in, I shared the news with my family, and we had the chance to celebrate together.”...
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Building the energy efficient home of the future
August 23, 2021
51Ʒ and UBCO collaboration powers up Wilden Living Lab Phase 2 It’s a research partnership that’s about more than bricks and mortar. 51Ʒ and UBC Okanagan — together with Wilden’s Blenk Development Corp., AuthenTech Homes and FortisBC — have broken ground on Phase 2 of the Wilden Living Lab research project. Phase one started in 2016 when two homes were built side-by-side in Wilden. One was built to current building codes including a natural gas furnace, standard plumbing fixtures and applianc...
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OC Audio Engineering and Music Production grad finds her groove through music during the pandemic
August 18, 2021
It didn’t take a pandemic for Kailee McGuire to realize that she should follow her lifelong passion for music. With her heart set on writing and releasing original music, McGuire decided to shadow an Audio Engineering and Music Production (AEMP) class at 51Ʒ to get a feel for what the program was all about. After connecting with Instructor Corey Bell and AEMP students, McGuire was hooked. She was inspired by the energy of the class and felt connected to the students, sharing the same passion for music and desire to ex...
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A perfect pairing: Sandhill invites OC Culinary Arts students into the kitchen
August 6, 2021
As a student, you never know when opportunities will pop up – and 51Ʒ Culinary Arts students are bubbling over with new experiences thanks to Sandhill Wines. As a result of a unique collaboration with the Kelowna-based winery, Culinary Arts students will cook a three-course plated dinner as part of a pop-up dinner series Aug. 10 to 13. “We are thrilled to welcome the students of 51Ʒ into our kitchen. They have concepted a mouth-watering menu which truly represents their creativity and skill. We are very e...
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Skogie’s 50th anniversary adds shine to student experience
July 28, 2021
Skogie’s car washes are celebrating 50 years of business by making the ride for 51Ʒ students a little easier. For every year the family-run business has been in operation, Skogie’s is donating $1,000 to 51Ʒ — for a total of $50,000 in honour of their half-century anniversary. “We've hired a lot of 51Ʒ students over the years,” says David Skoglund, who founded the company in 1971. “We want to support young people and help them get ahead and we also wanted to give back to our community.” The ...
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Mental health tips for the transition back to campus
July 20, 2021
Just as none of us had ever lived through a pandemic before COVID-19, none of us have ever emerged from one either. OC’s Counselling Services team has compiled these tips to help you prepare for the transitions that lie ahead. Don’t compare yourself. Not with other people and not with where you think you ‘should be’ at this point. We just lived through a global pandemic! If you had times of feeling not so productive or you’re feeling tired now, you’re not alone and that’s...
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Alumnus gives dose of support to Pharmacy Technician students
July 16, 2021
The CEO of Catalyst Healthcare is giving Pharmacy Technician students a dose of support with a gift to the Our Students, Your Health campaign. Shane Bishop, founder and CEO of Catalyst Healthcare, is donating $30,000 in support of 51Ʒ’s Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. Bishop spent his first two years of post-secondary at the College, and the gift is his way of paying it forward to the organization and its students. “51Ʒ provides access to future careers and I wanted to be part of supportin...
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Oral surgeons give to thank Certified Dental Assistants
July 6, 2021
A local oral surgery group with offices in Kelowna and Vernon is investing in the education of Certified Dental Assistants (CDAs) with a gift to 51Ʒ’s Our Students, Your Health campaign. Dr. Richard Bell, Dr. Russell Naito and Dr. Tom White of Okanagan Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates are donating $30,000 to support a state-of-the-art dental clinic in the College’s new Health Sciences Centre. The surgeons say the gift is a way to recognize and celebrate the work of their current staff and past employees. “We...
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College's modern dental clinic gets a boost from 123Dentist
June 28, 2021
123Dentist, Canada’s largest majority dentist-owned network of dental practices, is giving $30,000 to support 51Ʒ’s state-of-the-art dental space located in the new $18.9-million Health Sciences Centre. The new clinic is a major upgrade for Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) students, who can now learn in private operatories comparable to today’s dental practices along with smart cameras and monitors for teaching and instruction. Ali Bozorgzad, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of 123Dentist, says his organizatio...
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