Meet Olivia Sullivan, Social Work Professor
February 19, 2020
What is your education? I have a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from UBC. What is your area of interest? My area of interest is in promoting gender equality, specifically in the area of violence against women. I am interested in policy changes that will result in survivor-shielded law enforcement, particularly in criminal investigations and prosecutions of those who commit acts of violence against women including sexualized assault. In my counse...
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Pushing the green building envelope: builders and educators working together
February 19, 2020
Okanagan College, UBC, City of Kelowna co-host net zero life cycle workshop Workshops often involve questions and answers; this one focused on the real-world queries and solutions that may unlock a greener future for us all. Okanagan College, the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBC Okanagan), the City of Kelowna and a host of industry partners convened in Kelowna at the Innovation Centre on Tuesday. Building Net Zero was a one-day workshop designed to bring together building and energy innovators to tackle an ambitious ...
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Signature Speaker Series explores slavery, murder, and piracy on the high seas
February 19, 2020
How do piracy, human trafficking and other serious international maritime crimes relate to commercial fisheries and the choices we are left with as a consumer? How does one go about solving cold cases? What is it like to defuse a hostage crisis and provide support to victims in the aftermath? Karsten von Hoesslin will delve into all this and more during his presentation “Slavery, Murder, and Piracy on the High Seas: Is there a direct line between human trafficking and the seafood that ends up on your plate?” on Monday, March 2...
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Chefs’ Table Society sets up Harry McWatters Scholarship Fund
February 13, 2020
A Canadian wine icon is honoured — scholarship will fund deserving students for overseas studies When Canadian wine icon Harry McWatters passed suddenly last summer, the sense of loss that so many felt went well beyond his extensive personal relationships. At McWatters’ service in Penticton, many of the 1,500 in attendance wondered just who might fill the void in the British Columbia wine industry which he helped invent, then cultivated for more than 40 years. “Harry’s mentorship is rightly legendary,” says Jonathan Rouse, Associ...
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Okanagan College spotlights STEM education and career paths in Feb and March
February 13, 2020
What do soccer-playing robots, spaghetti bridges and soaring aviators have in common? Over the next month, Okanagan College will be opening its doors to elementary, middle and high school students to attend a series of events aimed at encouraging young people to step into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). “We want learners of all ages to hear the message that there has never been a better time to get into technology careers. There is a very real need for skilled workers in everything from animation to electronic, ...
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Councillor gives from the heart
February 12, 2020
Kelowna City Councillor and local community champion Maxine DeHart is giving a gift from the heart this Valentine’s Day. DeHart is donating to the Our Students, Your Health campaign, which is raising funds to build a new Health Sciences Centre at Okanagan College and create scholarships and bursaries for health care students. DeHart is the Campaign Ambassador for the fundraising campaign and is spearheading the media campaign encouraging others to get involved. She says the project’s goals touched her heartstrings and inspired her...
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OC Business students triumph at national case competition
February 11, 2020
It was a golden weekend for a trio of Okanagan College business students. Kevin Heller, Nora Glanzner, and Spencer McIntosh, all third-year students at the Kelowna campus, took top spot on the podium at the Scotiabank Canadian Case Challenge at Vanier College in Montreal. The annual competition saw 27 of the country’s top business schools represented this year. The high-pressure competition challenges students to apply their business strategy, marketing and management savvy to a live business case in three hours while in total ...
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Community, industry support propels College’s Tourism Management program
February 11, 2020
For Julia Dorrius, born and raised in Revelstoke, the College’s new Tourism Management (TMD) diploma has done far more than just open her eyes to the booming demand for skilled tourism professionals – it’s also opened doors, giving her a chance to gain work experience with local employers. “I graduated high school last June and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” explains Dorrius. “My dad sent me a link to the program and suggested I take a look at it. I just finished my first semester and, so far, I’ve found it to be a great way t...
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Coble earns doctoral degree, shines light on Indigenous students’ post-secondary experiences
February 11, 2020
When James Coble crossed the stage to pick up his doctoral degree from the University of Calgary he was overcome with many emotions. But for Okanagan College’s Director of Student Services and father of two, there was no emotion greater than the pride of setting a positive example for his children. “For me, it was the completion of a seven-year journey,” explains Coble. “At the end, as I did at every stage, I reminded myself that my kids were always at the top of the list of reasons why I was doing this.” Coble graduated with a D...
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Mapping a world-wide worry: OC student charts coronavirus spread in real-time
February 4, 2020
Sean Heddle was looking for a career change after an injury left him unable to work as a concrete construction foreman. He could never have imagined that his foray into the study of geographic information systems (GIS) would see him building a real-time map of a global public health emergency. Heddle, who hails from Kelowna, is currently enrolled in the GIS Certificate course at Okanagan College in Salmon Arm. His professor, Shelley Desautels, recently issued an assignment to her class, inviting students to build a digital map of ...
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