Enactus Okanagan College off to Nationals after Regional victories

Okanagan College Media Release

Okanagan College’s Enactus team has returned from the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition for Western Canada in Calgary with two top-place finishes, propelling the team to the National Exposition in Toronto later this year.

The team from Okanagan College and the team from BCIT were both named regional champions of the Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge. The four students who competed for the College are all from Kelowna: Cassandra McColman, Cooper Simson, Carly Suddard, and Talasa Harder. They presented on their award-winning Young Entrepreneurs program, which is a partnership with School District 23 and the Economic Development Commission of Central Okanagan.

A second team from the College also won the top spot, alongside the team from Simon Fraser University, in the Capital One Financial Education Challenge. The team won based on its presentation about CANSave, which was a partnership with Valley First Credit Union that taught elementary school children in Kelowna about financial literacy. The winning team consisted of Cam Starcheski, Abbey Jones, Hannah Griffin and Darren Gillespie, all of Kelowna.

“I am in my fourth year with Enactus Okanagan College, and the team never fails to amaze me,” says Cassandra Lum, President of Enactus Okanagan College. “Every year we are able to change the lives of those we are able to help, and continue to raise the bar of what we are able to accomplish.”

A team from Okanagan College was named regional runner-up in the Scotiabank Ecoliving Green Competition and won a $1,000 cash prize, presenting on their ReWine project.

In the TD Entrepreneurship Competition, Okanagan College earned the impact award for their Venture Okanagan project and a $500 cash prize.

“This year marks the tenth anniversary of Enactus Okanagan College,” explained faculty advisor Dr. Kyleen Myrah. “It is incredibly rewarding to build on our previous success at Regionals and we are looking forward to showcasing the great work of our students and community partners on the national stage in Toronto. While I’m very proud of the way our team has competed, I’m even more proud of the work they do in our communities to benefit the people of our region.”

The two regional winning teams from the College will now advance to the National Exposition in Toronto on May 2-4. The nationals team, which presents on projects across their entire year will also compete on behalf of Okanagan College.