Enactus Okanagan College headed to Nationals after weekend wins

Okanagan College Media Release

Okanagan College will be sending a team of its best and brightest students to compete in the Enactus national exhibition in Calgary next month after earning top honours in two categories at last weekend’s regional competition, also held in Calgary.

The student-run organization finished first in the Capital One Financial Literacy Education Challenge and the Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge. A third team from the College was named first runner-up in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge.

“We are extremely proud in the way in which our Enactus students continue to excel , not just in their business competitions, but also through the great work they are engaged in within our communities,” said President Jim Hamilton. 

The teams who competed at the regional challenge were comprised of a range of first- to fourth-year students who take classes at the College in Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton. 

The competitions offer Enactus students the opportunity to present the outcomes of a series of real-world educational initiatives and projects, each of which are student-led and impact members of the community. 

One such initiative the College’s Enactus team was recognized for was its Farm Bag project. The students work with local farmers to distribute produce within the Okanagan region. This year the project operated out of 26 local distribution sites, keeping 47,500 lbs of produces within the region and reducing 4.3 metric tonnes of CO2.

“The quality of the work that our Enactus students do in their communities and the professionalism that they bring to both their work and the competition is exceptional and it is rewarding to see their accomplishments recognized by their success at the Regional competition,” said Sheilagh Seaton, one of the coaches of Enactus Okanagan College. 

Members of the gold medal Capital One Financial Education Challenge team were all from Kelowna and included: Karen Vandergaag, Jen Crookes, Kyle Aboott, Ivan Gonzales, and Scott Harvey. 

The gold medalists on the Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge team included: Cassandra Lum (Penticton), Evan Dizak, Rob Larkin, Darren Gillespie and Minami Endo (all from Kelowna). 

The TD Entrepreneurship Challenge team that won silver included: Nikki Wiebe and Morgan Lackhart (both from Vernon) and Kelowna students Michelle Johnson, Tom Arrowsmith, and Ben Heggie. 

The national Enactus exhibition takes place in Calgary at the end of April.