Abbott and Koyczan to be honoured by College’s Alumni Association

Okanagan College Media Release

The Okanagan College Alumni Association (OCAA) is bestowing its highest honour on two former Okanagan College students – one of whom has used his education and dedication to public service to help shape the political landscape of the province, the other has succeeded in creating and sharing his art with the world, bringing a nation together through spoken word.

Though their ascent to roles of national and international recognition has taken them on divergent paths, both George Abbott and Shane Koyczan will receive awards at a celebration of their distinguished careers and achievements in October.

The Honourable George Abbott, Minister of Education and MLA for the Shuswap, will receive the OCAA’s Distinguished Alumni award in recognition of his commitment to education and public service.

Famed slam-poet Shane Koyczan is being honoured with the association’s Young Alumni award, which recognizes the achievements of Okanagan College or Okanagan University College graduates under the age of 35.

“That both Minister Abbott and Shane Koyczan were students at Okanagan College and continued on to be so successful in their chosen career paths is a testament to the educational foundation that Okanagan College provided to them,” said Kara Kazimer, Okanagan College Alumni Association President.

Abbott has a long history with Okanagan College, first as a student during 1971 where he took general studies, then later as a professor of political science at the Salmon Arm campus in 1989.

After initiating his studies at Okanagan College, Abbott went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia and then a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Victoria.

He was appointed Minister of Education in 2010. Previous ministerial responsibilities include Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, Minister of Health, Minister of Sustainable Resource Management, Minister of Community, and Minister of Aboriginal and Women’s Services.

He was first elected as a B.C. Liberal MLA in 1996, where he represented the riding of the Shuswap. He was re-elected in 2001, 2005 and again in 2009.

Penticton’s own Shane Koyczan is well known for his performance at the opening of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics when he shared his poem for Canada, We Are More, in front of millions of viewers. The poem struck an emotional chord with Canadians as a heartwarming and at times tear-evoking homage to the nation.

Koyczan attended Okanagan College’s Penticton campus in 1998, where he took courses in the Associate of Arts degree program and excelled in creative writing. He moved to Vancouver the following year and immersed himself in the world of slam poetry where he quickly made a name for himself and attracted a dedicated following.

He won the US Slam Poetry Championship and Canadian Spoken Word Olympics; he has been featured on BRAVO television, and NPR, BBC, CBC, and ABC (Australia) radio. His first published collection, Visiting Hours, was the only work of poetry selected by both the Guardian and the Globe and Mail for their Best Books of the Year lists. Koyczan has a new novel in verse, Stickboy, which focuses on issues of bullying.

Abbott and Koyczan will be honoured at cocktail reception event at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6 in the Centre for Learning at the Kelowna campus of Okanagan College. Tickets are now available to the event at a cost of $55 per person.

Anyone interested in attending can contact Katerina Hay at (250) 862-5630 or [email protected].