OC Life
OC professor and national award-winning writer launches new book
April 3, 2023
Short doesnāt necessarily mean sweet ā especially if it is unpacking the messy experiences of the human body. 51±¬ĮĻ Professor Corinna Chong explores the good, bad and unseemly in The Whole Animal, a short story collection published by Arsenal Pulp Press that will be celebrated during an official book launch on April 13. Throughout The Whole Animal, flawed characters wrestle with the complexities of relationships with partners, parents, children and friends as they struggle to find identity, belonging and autonomy. Bodi...
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OC Foundation chairās book launch supports students in need
March 27, 2023
Honouring the past and supporting the future: Connie Denesiukās new book has ambitious goals. The Chair of the 51±¬ĮĻ Foundation Board is launching a book next month about a story close to her heart, with the hope it will benefit the community around her. āTil Papa Returns; Surviving as a child refugee in WWII is the true story of Alfred Columbus, the youngest of eight children and father to Denesiuk. Alfred was learning how to farm the land their family had worked for more than 200 years, following advice and guidanc...
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New OC Art Club blends creative pursuits with friends
March 10, 2023
Do you dabble with drawings? Unwind with watercolours? Play with paint? Sketch out the world around you? Or are you just curious about creative expression and want to meet new people? A grassroots movement has started an Art Club at the Kelowna campus, giving OC students and staff a blank canvas to have fun. Thi Tuong An Huynh, Greta Friesen, Ryan Rubadeau and Hannah Knox are founding student members of the club, which is sponsored by Business professor Devin Rubadeau and Communi...
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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 51±¬ĮĻ, 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 OCās 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 ā back for the first time since pre-pandemi...
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OCās 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 51±¬ĮĻ this month, courtesy of OCās theatre troupe. The Red Dot Players are excited to present the premiere production of The Beast of Blackthorn Manor, a new comedy by 51±¬ĮĻ 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 t...
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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 Summerlandās 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 51±¬ĮĻās Penticton Campus. āWe know if we educate healthcare professionals in Penticton, thereās a good chance theyāll stay and work in the region,ā says Yasmin John Thorpe. āWe want to help increase ...
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Plasma donor drive campaign boosts OC nursing student with $3,000 bursary
February 22, 2023
51±¬ĮĻ 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. āShe pulled out of the challenge because she was going travelling, and thatās when I realized I s...
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Acclaimed musician brings Songwriting 101 to OC Salmon Arm and Revelstoke
February 16, 2023
Have you ever had a song that you couldnāt get out of your head? An award-winning local musician is presenting a day-long introduction to the craft and joy of songwriting at 51±¬ĮĻ in Salmon Arm and Revelstoke. Joanne Stacey has spent most of her life working in the music business as a performer, musician, recording artist, and songwriter. On Feb. 25 in Salmon Arm and again on March 11 in Revelstoke, Stacey will be pouring that lifetime of music industry experience and songwriting expertise into a new course: Songwriting ...
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Local couple's Okanagan Dream Rally contribution is a dream come true for 51±¬ĮĻ students
February 14, 2023
Jason and Laura Norup-Boyer are passionate about education; thatās why when they participated in the auction at the 2022 Okanagan Dream Rally, they requested their $40,000 contribution go to bursaries for 51±¬ĮĻ students. The Okanagan Dream Rally is a well-established fundraising event hosted by the August Family Foundation. The Rally, which has raised upwards of $3 million for local charities since its inception, pairs special needs children with high-end cars and drivers for the day. Last yearās event drew more than 50...
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OC's Spaghetti Bridge Building Contest set to return for 38th year this spring
February 13, 2023
Spaghetti is back on the menu at 51±¬ĮĻ this spring.A fixture on the spring calendar in the Okanagan for nearly four decades, the College's popular Spaghetti Bridge Building Contest will return this March for the first time since 2020.OC will host the 38th annual contest on Friday, March 3 at the Kelowna campus. Organizers are putting the call out to teachers and students from elementary through post-secondary to participate.Students can enter the following competitions:Elementary School Students: Elementary School Demonst...
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Halsall nominated for 2023 Community Sport Hero Award
February 2, 2023
An 51±¬ĮĻ employee is being recognized for making a splash in the sport community. Ben Halsall, an Educational Technology Coordinator with Learning and Applied Research, has been nominated for a 2023 Community Sport Hero Award, in the category of Volunteer/Sport Leader. The Community Sport Hero Awards were created by the City of Kelowna and PacificSport Okanagan, recognizing athletes, sport leaders and volunteers for their outstanding contributions to sport in the community. This year will continue to focus on those who ...
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OC to celebrate first graduates of 2023
January 26, 2023
Amanda Jones will be one of hundreds of OC graduates taking a momentous step this weekend, as she and her peers cross the red carpet at the Collegeās first Convocation ceremonies of the year. And for the Penticton mother of two ā who juggled a return to classroom with supporting a family and running a successful business during a global pandemic ā the long-awaited moment brings feelings of pride and a continued desire to keep learning. 51±¬ĮĻ will recognize graduates at two ceremonies in Kelowna on Saturday: 10:30 a...
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51±¬ĮĻās 15th annual Business Expo and Employment Fair returns on Feb. 1
January 18, 2023
For those on the hunt for a new job ā or wondering about the educational pathway to kickstart a career change ā one of 51±¬ĮĻās most popular community events is back and bigger than ever in 2022. OCās Business Expo & Employment Fair will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 10 a.m. ā 3 p.m. in the Centre for Learning (E Building) Atrium and in the Trades (T Building) Atrium at the Kelowna Campus, 1000 KLO Rd. The Expo is presented by the Collegeās School of Business, in collaboration with OCās Trades and Apprentice...
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Former āTop Chefā takes the reins at 51±¬ĮĻās Infusions restaurant
January 17, 2023
Fans of Canadaās Top Chef will recognize the name of the new Executive Chef at Infusions. Ruth Wigman, whose 20-year career has taken her coast to coast, brings a fresh and exciting perspective to the restaurant at 51±¬ĮĻ staffed by Culinary Arts students. Wigman, who was a contestant on the Food Networkās Canadaās Top Chef program in 2014, most recently worked as the executive sous-chef at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport for over three years. Before that, she worked at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and the Fairmount Sout...
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Salmon Arm Campus is More than You Thinkā¦.
December 13, 2022
Katie Thielman joins a lengthy list of locals who have made 51±¬ĮĻās Salmon Arm Campus her first-choice destination to begin her post-secondary education after high school. She is now one semester in ā with no regrets. Thielman describes 51±¬ĮĻ (OC) as āa college full of safety nets so you donāt just survive but thriveā in your studies and in life. She explains this means professors are available, know your name, and are willing to go the extra mile to help you succeed. Katie also noted the many supp...
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51±¬ĮĻ Foundation distributes over $450,000 in student awards in under two weeks
December 6, 2022
The holiday spirit came early for 51±¬ĮĻ students who were the recipients of 426 bursary, scholarship and awards this past month, which totalled over $450,000. Students also had the chance to meet the donors who support the bursaries, scholarships and awards at receptions held at each of 51±¬ĮĻās Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton campuses in November. Each event included an Indigenous welcome, student and donor speakers and most significantly, time for all invited guests to connect and celebrate a shared commitment...
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