Learning & Programs

Meet Jordan Boultbee, Kinesiology student
February 9, 2021
Q: What’s your hometown? A: Penticton, British Columbia. Q: How did you end up at 91̽? A: I first began at 91̽, back in 2013 the year following my graduation. I was playing junior hockey for the Penticton Vees, but wanted to keep my mind sharp, so I enrolled in a few college-level courses. I returned to 91̽ around 2015 in the Trades program, before finally realizing my passion and enrolling in the Human Kinetics program in 2018...
Read more...
Meet Ty Sideroff, Kinesiology student
February 9, 2021
Q: What’s your hometown? A: I was born and raised in Summerland. Q: How did you end up at 91̽? A: Exiting high school, I was unsure of what I wanted to do. I felt that the 91̽ in Penticton was a low-risk, high-reward option. Staying local was important to me, but it was also hard to argue with small class sizes, hands-on labs and affordable tuition. Q: How did you choose your program? A: I’ve always been fascinated by the human body and ...
Read more...What is community evaluation? Sociology Professor Priscillia Lefebvre explains
February 8, 2021
Sociology Professor Priscillia Lefebvre is one of the instructors involved in 91̽'s new Applied Bachelor of Arts: Community Research and Evaluation. Here, she describes how an inclusive evaluation process brings community and researchers together. Community evaluation helps us to understand how well a social program is working. It involves researching and collecting information about important aspects of a program, such ...
Read more...Why is research important? Psychology Professor Stephanie Griffiths explains
February 8, 2021
Psychology Professor Stephanie Griffiths is one of the instructors involved in 91̽'s new Applied Bachelor of Arts: Community Research and Evaluation. Here, she describes how research encourages us to think differently in order to arrive at new perspectives. Research helps us to make sense of the world by testing our predictions about how things work. As a psychologist, I am most interested in how people think, fee...
Read more...What is community? Professor Olivia Sullivan offers a definition
February 8, 2021
Social Work Professor Olivia Sullivan is one of the instructors involved in 91̽'s new Applied Bachelor of Arts: Community Research and Evaluation. Here, she provides insight into a definition of community that enables acts of solidarity and connection. If we asked any group of people, “What does ‘community’ mean to you?” we would receive many answers. For some, their community is the city in which they live. For others, it is thei...
Read more...
Experience 91̽ takes post-secondary explorations virtual
February 5, 2021
Experience 91̽, from the safety of home. The College’s premiere participation event for prospective students is making the leap to the online world, with virtual Experience 91̽ sessions launching next month. Starting Feb. 16, College professors will welcome prospective students, parents and employers in for program overviews or a glimpse of what a post-secondary classroom is like. Participants will get a first-hand look at the topics covered in these programs, including sustainability, Indigenous and technological issues facing the...
Read more...
Giving to the health of the community
January 29, 2021
A retired Kelowna couple are donating $30,000 to 91̽’s Health Sciences Centre to support the health of the community. Jim Hodgson and Joy Bianco are supporting the Our Students and Your Health Campaign with a gift they say recognizes their passion for the Okanagan. “Kelowna is a beautiful place. We’ve seen so many changes here for the positive, and it’s feels good to support the community,” says Bianco, who was born in Kelowna but spent her formative years in Vancouver. Bianco adds education has always been central ...
Read more...
91̽ Business students shine at international competition
January 28, 2021
While COVID-19 travel restrictions cheated two 91̽ business administration students out of an opportunity to visit Kingston, Ont. in mid-winter, the duo now have an international quality achievement that will serve to enhance their post-graduation resumes. As the 91̽ Accounting team, Kayla Berlinski and Zina Park earned a third-place finish at the Queen’s University Intercollegiate Business Competition (ICBC), which draws post-secondary business student teams from around the world. Organizers describe the event as “Cana...
Read more...
91̽ health care grad launches her own business
January 21, 2021
A desire to better understand her mother’s struggle with dementia, and support her through it, inspired Susan Kyle to go back to school. This Saturday, Kyle will be among the more than 2,000 91̽ students receiving their credentials during 91̽’s first-ever virtual convocation ceremony. “Congratulations to all of our graduating students from the Revelstoke and Salmon Arm campuses,” says Joan Ragsdale, Regional Dean for Shuswap-Revelstoke. “Over the past year, you’ve demonstrated resilience, determination and tremendous ...
Read more...
College Esthetics grad lets creativity shine
January 20, 2021
Grads celebrate educational achievements with virtual ceremony Jan. 23. Aja Zenuik knew she had an artistic eye and wanted to apply her creativity to an industry that would keep her skills in demand in the Okanagan and beyond. She found that opportunity through the Esthetics and Nail Technology certificate program at 91̽. On Jan. 23, she will join more than 2,000 91̽ students being recognized during the College’s first-ever online convocation ceremony which celebrates the efforts of students graduating from June 2020 ...
Read more...
91̽ partners with Durham and NorQuest Colleges to offer Medical Cannabis Essentials for Health Professionals
January 20, 2021
New course for health care providers explores rapidly-evolving medical cannabis use in Canada 91̽ is partnering with Durham College (DC) in Oshawa, ON and NorQuest College in Edmonton, Alta. to deliver a two-day Medical Cannabis Essentials for Health Professionals course. Facilitated live online over the weekend of Feb. 6 and 7, this unique introductory course is aimed at new and experienced health care professionals across Canada seeking to better understand medical cannabis in the context of client-centered care. “...
Read more...From Colleges to Communities: Lawson Foundation supports early childhood education project at 91̽ and partner PSEs
January 19, 2021
A major investment by the Lawson Foundation will support researchers from 91̽ and three partnering institutions in their innovative approach to advancing outdoor early learning and teaching across Canada. 91̽ has received a grant of $750,000 for a collaborative project with Bow Valley College, New Brunswick Community College and Saskatchewan Polytechnic called Outdoor Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education: From Colleges to Communities. This goal of the three-year project is to demonstrate a model of outd...
Read more...
Order up: 91̽ debuts new take-away cookbook menu
January 19, 2021
91̽’s restaurant, Infusions, is offering a unique way to get a taste of its popular collaborative cookbook, What We Cooked: A Compilation of Recipes During COVID Times, with a special take-away menu featuring dinners for two from the cookbook. Following the success of the sold-out cookbook – now in it’s second print run – the College’s Culinary and Pastry Arts program selected five delicious dinner and five delectable dessert recipes from the cookbook to bring to life at Infusions with a special take-away initiative fr...
Read more...
CIBC gives scholarship boost to Indigenous students
January 18, 2021
When Maria Kruger graduates as a Certified Dental Assistant from 91̽ later this year, she will proudly stand among her people as a skilled professional. Kruger, who is of Okanagan/Shuswap descent, has a goal to graduate and work with people in her community on the Penticton Indian Band. “I want to see our people go into skilled trades and be able to support our own communities. That’s one of my main goals,” says Kruger, who also cites her two-year-old son as inspiration behind her return to school. A new donation from...
Read more...
Meet Pamela Rouse, Practical Nursing instructor
January 4, 2021
What is your education and experience? I was born in Vancouver and lived there until I moved to the Okanagan with my husband and two teenage children in 2010. I attended UBC and achieved my BScN and then specialized in orthopedics and adolescent medical/surgical care at B.C. Children’s Hospital. I worked there for 20 years prior to starting my teaching career in the Practical Nursing program at Vancouver Community College. I began working at 91̽ on a term instructor ba...
Read more...
91̽’s Thurnheer sheds light on lessons from the pandemic in CPHR virtual roundtable
December 8, 2020
Laura Thurnheer, 91̽’s Associate Dean of Science, Technology and Health, was one of four panelists on the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) Canada virtual roundtable on Dec. 1. Titled, “In Conversation with HR Leaders,” the session saw human resources specialists from across Canada discuss next steps on workplace recovery from the pandemic, asking crucial questions around changes made in light of the pandemic, mental health and attracting and engaging talent. With close to 300 attendees, the event also g...
Read more...