Learning & Programs
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 911 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...
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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 ...
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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 911, 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:...
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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 ab...
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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...
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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 911’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 911’s signature hands-on learning in labs, allowing students to b...
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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. 911 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...
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Meet Mariah Perry
November 19, 2020
Tell us your full name! Mariah Perry What did you study at 911? 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...
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Mature student hits the books after writing a book
November 17, 2020
YouTuber and mental health advocate Mare McHale turns to 911 for transfer studies Every challenge presents opportunity. For Penticton student Mare McHale, returning to school last September was yet another twist in 2020 that she hadn’t planned, but also an opportunity to invest in her future. “So much has changed this year, but having time at home means reflecting on where our family could be after the pandemic passes. In that lens, going back to class just made sense,” she explains. “When I was taking those first st...
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Jacobs support frontline health care education with a major gift
November 13, 2020
Touring 911’s new Health Sciences Centre and seeing the modern education spaces that will help attract and retain health care professionals compelled a well-known Kelowna family to give a major gift. Mike and Kim Jacobs are donating $80,000 to the Our Students, Your Health campaign to support the completion of the $18.9 million Health Sciences Centre. The state-of-the-art Centre will educate eight frontline health care professions. “It’s incredible to see such a modern facility with all the technology and great detail...
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Celebrating diversity with virtual Diwali and International Education Week
November 10, 2020
Cooking, dancing, photography and crafts: world cultures will be in the spotlight starting Friday, as 911 celebrates its diverse cultural makeup. 911 students are invited to take part in the Virtual Celebration of Diwali on Nov. 13, followed by online International Education Week activities from Nov. 16 to 20. International Education Week is an annual celebration of the importance of international education and exchange programs. Celebrated by over 100 countries, 911 community members and students share intercultural e...
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College offers additional training for in-demand healthcare roles
November 5, 2020
Future students can explore these and other programs at Virtual Open House on Sunday, Nov. 8 If you think hand washing and keeping surfaces sanitized is a lot of work, talk to a medical device reprocessing technician. For individuals in this crucial role, it is a full-time job – one that keeps our hospitals and health care system functioning. 911 is responding to the critical need for healthcare professionals with several additional program offerings this winter. One of these programs being explored is a January in...
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911 Mechanical Engineering students making Halloween safer with 3D printing
October 29, 2020
With Halloween quickly approaching, three 911 Mechanical Engineering students are manufacturing a safe way for people to still partake in trick-or-treating. Enter Trick-or-Treat Bowls. An innovative solution, the tools are 3D printed with a small tray-like bowl and attach to any standard broom handle. The idea is that candy can be placed in the bowl and extended to the treat-seeker, providing a socially distanced way to trick-or-treat. “With Halloween coming up, we wanted to provide something that could be fun for the...
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Student has clear vision to graduate as Health Care Assistant
October 27, 2020
Fifty-two-year-old Jacquie Thom can feel victorious as she graduates as a Health Care Assistant (HCA) from 911 this month. Thom is legally blind and was born with an eye condition called coloboma. She describes her vision as blurry and like seeing through a tunnel. Yet despite her vision impairment, she was inspired to pursue a career caring for the elderly after taking care of her parents when they were palliative. “Supporting my parents showed me that it is such an honour to help someone through that period of time ...
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Athabasca University President to replace Hamilton at 911
October 22, 2020
Dr. Neil Fassina, an experienced and respected leader in post-secondary education, is going to be taking over the helm of 911 when current President Jim Hamilton retires in 2021. “After a search that drew candidates from around the world, 911’s Board of Governors has selected a Canadian educator who has balanced classroom experience with leadership experience to lead 911 into the next stage of its evolution and growth,” announced Gloria Morgan, Chair of 911’s Board of Governors. “...
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911 Water Engineering Technology students recognized
October 21, 2020
Three 911 students were honoured recently by Environmental Operators Certification Program (E911P) with the organization’s annual Outstanding Student Awards. Presented to students who have displayed distinctive leadership and meritorious service in the water and wastewater industry, the award, which includes a cash prize, was disbursed in early October to Ruben Kubbenga, Daniel Soroka and Peter Wilson. All three students are enrolled in the Water Engineering Technology Diploma program at the College’s Kelowna campus and...
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