Okanagan College School of Business students representing EnactusOC achieved four podium finishes at a recent Enactus Canada Regional Exposition.

For Rebekah Dingwall, an OC student and the EnactusOC President, the competition was an opportunity to showcase her skills and make a positive impact on her community.

“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such a remarkable team of students, faculty, alumni and community partners,” said Dingwall. “The success of our team at the Enactus Regional competition is a testament to the collective efforts and the positive impact these students have made in the community with their amazing projects.”

The Enactus Canada Regional Exposition was held in Calgary on March 14 and 15, 2024. With 16 teams across four provinces in Western Canada competing for top placements in four Impact Challenges, the EnactusOC team secured podium finishes in every category.

“Watching the OC Business students present their social entrepreneurial projects to the judges at the Enactus Regionals was strong evidence that Okanagan College is preparing our students for success,” said Joe Baker, Dean, School of Business. “The talented faculty team and coaches helped OC shine in the spotlight as our teams made the podium in every category. These competitions are platforms for OC to continue to position itself as the market leader in business education in Canada. “

EnactusOC’s success was evident, with each team making significant strides towards creating positive social and environmental impact. Among notable achievements were the following community outreach projects:

Project Bee:

• Result: 2nd place in the Alumni and Innovation Challenge
• Students: Katalin Csorba, Linden Webster-Krist, Seirian Major
• Coaches: Todd Gillick, Brad Steinbart
• Project: Promoting bee conservation through education and habitat restoration, with initiatives including classroom activities and establishing beehives.

Flour:

• Result: 1st place in the Canadian Tire Environmental and Sustainability Challenge
• Students: Mackenzie Friesen, Gurnoor Johol, Elias Rojas, Kayla Warner, Reece Lequilloux
• Coach: Dr. Danielle Robinson
• Project: Creating gluten-free apple flour from pomace waste, contributing to environmental sustainability and reducing CO2 emissions.

Unusually Good Hard Cider:

• Result: 3rd place in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge
• Students: Kaitlin Senko, Josh Smith, Andrew Lowken
• Coaches: Dr. Kyleen Myrah, Mark Ziebarth
• Project: Addressing food wastage by converting discarded apples into hard cider, while educating consumers and entrepreneurs about social entrepreneurship.

Revive:

• Result: 3rd place in the Desjardins Youth Empowerment Challenge
• Students: Michaela Dew, Luke Howe, Ryan Rubadeau, Lorreine Stanley
• Coaches: Devin Rubadeau, Dean Warner
• Project: Developing an engaging curriculum on renewable energy for middle school students, fostering STEM skills and environmental awareness.

“We’re extremely proud of how our team worked together with community partners to identify and take action on the opportunity for environmental circularity within EnactusOC’s Unusually Good Food Co.,” said Dr. Danielle Robinson, Faculty Advisor and Coach for the Sustainability team. “The team is honoured by their success at the Regional competition and looking forward to sharing the story of their innovative gluten-free apple flour and their zero-waste social enterprise with a national audience in Toronto later this spring.”

EnactusOC will advance to the National competition in May, where they will compete in the Impact Challenge final round and showcase their projects on a national stage.