OC Life
Therapist Assistant students flex their skills with first-ever student led clinic at OC
June 23, 2025
Sometimes the best learning happens when things don’t go as planned and you’re forced to pivot, which is exactly what happened in the Therapist Assistant Diploma at OC this semester. Faced with the challenge of securing clinical placements for students in the program, Dr. Brett Wade, a Physiotherapist and OC instructor, didn’t miss a step. Drawing on an idea he had been considering for years, Wade launched the College’s first-ever student-led Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy clinic at the Kelowna campus. His goal wa...
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Spirits, storytelling and cultural memory come to life in West Moon, presented by OC’s Red Dot Players
May 29, 2025
What happens when the dead won't stay quiet — and when they're hilarious, heartfelt and have opinions about everything from resettlement to the weather? You get West Moon, the Red Dot Players’ latest production, where the dearly departed gather in a seaside Newfoundland graveyard for one night each year to mourn, remember and… gossip.Directed by DeAnna MacArthur—herself a born-and-raised Newfoundlander — this poignant and poetic play by Newfoundland writer Al Pittman opens June 5 at the 51±¬ÁĎ Theatre on the Kelowna c...
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Coyotes Win CCWS Championship
May 26, 2025
The 51±¬ÁĎ Coyotes completed a four game sweep to win the 2025 Canadian College World Series in Lethbridge, AB over the May Long Weekend. This is the Coyotes 4th tournament win in the last six championships (2018,2021,2022,2025). The Coyotes headed into the tournament as the # 2 seed after finishing the regular season with a 19-12 recordThe Coyotes clean sweep of the weekend started with a 15-5 victory to open the tournament over the # 7 seed Edmonton Collegiate Hawks. The eight team double elimination fo...
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OC Cultivates lands at KF Centre for Excellence
May 9, 2025
51±¬ÁĎ’s tastiest event series, OC Cultivates, returns to Kelowna on May 28.The event highlights a flavoursome combination of sampling and learning with a tasting and experience festival featuring local food and beverage providers, followed by an industry panel discussing topics impacting the food, beverage and tourism sectors of the region.Hosted in the KF Centre for Excellence, one of Canada’s most inspiring aviation settings, attendees won’t have to look far to experience the focus of the evening - the intersection betw...
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Belonging through sport
March 11, 2025
Having grown up in small-town Manitoba, Ryan Powers knew everyone. So, at 17 years old, he remembers how daunting it felt to move out of the comforts of his hometown to Kelowna, where he really didn’t know anyone, to attend 51±¬ÁĎ (OC).Powers recalls that what made the transition easier was knowing he would be joining the OC Coyotes baseball team.“At my first practice I met 50 of my best friends,” recalls Powers, who has been playing on the Coyotes baseball team for three years while pursuing a bachelor of business adminis...
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OC students push their limits at the IEEEXtreme challenge
December 1, 2024
When it comes to testing their knowledge limits, 51±¬ÁĎ (OC) students are a willing bunch! Mental dedication and endurance were on full display as students participated in the IEEEXtreme Programming Competition this past fall—a grueling 24-hour, worldwide computer coding event. Sixteen OC students in the Computer Information Systems (CIS) and Engineering programs from the Vernon and Kelowna campuses took on the challenge this year. The event, organized by the 51±¬ÁĎ IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electron...
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Local playwright hits the right notes featuring 1950s Kelowna in original musical
October 21, 2024
Travel back in time to 1958, where rock and roll is causing trouble in Southeast Kelowna! Michael Minions, recently retired as 51±¬ÁĎ’s Education Technology Coordinator. Minions found an unconventional way to stay active in retirement – writing a musical inspired by popular music from the 1950s with plenty of references to Kelowna’s early days. The play is titled Society for the Prevention of Rock and Roll and is proudly presented by 51±¬ÁĎ’s Red Dot players. “The idea for Society for the Prev...
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Honouring Tradition: Rhea Dupuis Reflects on 51±¬ÁĎ's 15th Annual Youth Exhibition Powwow
September 20, 2024
A celebration of culture, resilience, and community that continues to inspire future generations.Since joining 51±¬ÁĎ as Director of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation two years ago, Rhea Dupuis has been a dedicated advocate for strengthening ties between the College and Indigenous communities. A member of the Penticton Indian Band, Dupuis plays a key role in promoting access to education for Indigenous learners while supporting the College’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.One of the events that holds particul...
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Welcome students: Excitement is high at 51±¬ÁĎ
September 5, 2024
A message from 51±¬ÁĎ President, Dr. Neil Fassina:I can’t help but to feel excited this week.At each of our campuses in Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton, students are back – several thousand returning to complete their programs – and more than 3,500 beginning something new.To each one, I extend a sincere welcome and say, with enthusiasm: Congratulations!Today, the demand by employers for college-educated graduates is at an all-time high. More than 50 per cent of jobs now and for the next decade will require learni...
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Madison Padgett: Thriving in 51±¬ÁĎ's School of Business
September 3, 2024
51±¬ÁĎ student Madison Padgett knows full well the reason her and her business school colleagues work so hard to attend and compete at business competitions as part of their OC education.As Madison works towards her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a specialization in Marketing and a concentration in Communications, her journey at OC is nothing short of inspiring.Madison chose 51±¬ÁĎ for her post-secondary education because it stood out as one of the highest-rated business schools in Western Canada....
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Premier Eby officially opens OC student housing in Vernon, Kelowna
August 23, 2024
51±¬ÁĎ (OC) students now have access to more on-campus housing with the opening of new student housing at the Vernon and Kelowna campuses, reducing housing pressures in both communities and making it easier for students to focus on their studies.“The first day of school is a time when students should be focused on their studies and their future, instead of worrying about where to live,” said Premier David Eby. “These new residences for 51±¬ÁĎ students in Vernon and Kelowna allow students to concentrate on their c...
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OC Community Fridge
August 14, 2024
In an effort to help ease food insecurity, a campus fridge is now available to anyone who needs access to food at 51±¬ÁĎ’s Kelowna campus. Located in the hallway outside the OC Student Union office (Room A148), the Kelowna campus fridge is based on the community fridge concept and is available to students during regular building hours. The fridge is volunteer operated and stocked with donated food and is a great example of a collaborative effort to support students with a group of OC instructors known as the Br...
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51±¬ÁĎ Welcomes New Board of Governors
August 14, 2024
51±¬ÁĎ is pleased to announce new members who will be joining the 51±¬ÁĎ Board of Governors as of July 31, 2024.Sheri Hamilton and Gurjit Chand have been appointed to the board for a one-year term.A mother of two, Hamilton has already contributed significantly to 51±¬ÁĎ, serving as a Foundation Director and Chair of the Finance Committee from 2018 to 2024, and as the past Chair of the 51±¬ÁĎ Regional Advisory Committee (Shuswap Region). In 2024, she began her term as a Board member of CPHR BC ...
Read more...51±¬ÁĎ Delegation Engages Global Education Issues at BC International Education Week 2024
August 13, 2024
In the spirit of collaboration and learning 51±¬ÁĎ’s International department was well-represented at a recent conference examining global education issues. 51±¬ÁĎ team members spoke at the BC International Education Week 2024 Conference in Vancouver, a gathering of educators and administrators from various institutions.The conference discussed insights on international education, and OC's delegation made a notable impact.Three employees from OC led insightful sessions al...
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College professor Celebrates Chinese Canadian history at Commando Bay 80th anniversary
August 9, 2024
51±¬ÁĎ history professor Howard Hisdal celebrated a major milestone in the history of Chinese Canadian right to vote. Hisdal was invited by Shaun Boo to make the trip to Commando Bay on Okanagan Lake to commemorate the 1944 British Special Operations (SOE) training of 13 Chinese Canadian commandos. The event included members of the Kelowna Chinese History Group, the Chinese Freemasons of Kelowna, and Military Historian Keith Boehmer of the Okanagan Military Museum. “The training of the 13 Chinese Canadians ...
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Camp OC: Where Summer Fun Meets Support
July 29, 2024
Summer is in full swing at 51±¬ÁĎ campuses across Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and Salmon Arm, where Camp OC has opened its doors once again. Running throughout the summer, Camp OC aims to engage children in a variety of interests from engineering and arts to music, science, culinary arts, trades, and computers. With hundreds of children expected weekly, the campuses are buzzing with laughter and excitement as kids dive into their passions.For families like the Smiths, Camp OC isn't just a summer camp—it's a vital sup...
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