A strong community can promote new ideas and ensure accountability. It can also act as motivation, support, and even provide a little friendly competition. The power of community is undeniable and the Okanagan tech community is no exception.
Our community is strong and growing with record speed and maintaining connection through a period of growth like this can be a challenge. Nobody panic, we’ve got a plan.
Introducing, The Faces of #OKGNtech. A showcase of Okanagan tech entrepreneurs, partners, supporters, and cheerleaders designed to fuel more connection, more growth, and more excitement. Follow along (on the blog and on Instagram @OKGNtech) to learn more about our growing community and what makes them awesome.
Meet Amanda. Amanda Loewen is the Community Lead for the Social Enterprise Accelerator Purppl. When Amanda isn’t attending a tech event, you can find her at the beach, working out, or reading a book. We recently caught up with Amanda Lowen to learn more about her role at Purppl and her love for the Okanagan.
[Editor’s Note: Amanda is currently reading ‘The Storytelling Edge’.]
Tell me about your role at Purppl?
“Being the only employee at Purppl makes my role pretty diverse. It’s nice because every day is different, which I honestly love. I work on events, and I do our marketing and social media, I create content for our blog and then lately I’ve been getting into our program design and delivery.”
#Allthethings
What do you enjoy about your role at Purppl?
“I get to work with social entrepreneurs and really connect with these people who are making a difference. We might not necessarily be the ones making the difference but we are helping by enabling these companies to make impactful changes, and that’s pretty cool.”
What do you like about the Okanagan?
“You can live wherever you want, and it’s nice to love where you live. Kelowna is a very approachable size, it’s not huge like other cities I have lived in. I love that I can go to BNA and see three people that I know. It’s nice to have that sense of community.”
[Editor’s note: Amanda has lived in Cuba, Argentina, Canada and Scotland!]
Tell me about your experience at UBCO.
“I really liked the way the management program was set up At UBCO . You actually get the opportunity to know your profs. It’s not like a 300 person lecture where you never get to speak to them. They know who you are and even now, I’ll run into my profs in the Innovation Centre, and we talk and catch up, so that’s really nice.”
Why did you choose to pursue a management degree?
“I originally started off in sciences and then switched into Management. I realised that I didn’t see a future for myself in sciences. I was like “What am I going to do with this? Am I going to be in a lab?” that wasn’t what I wanted. I am way too much of a people person. I’m so glad I made the switch. Management has been such a versatile degree.”
What’s your favourite quote?
“I’ve always liked the quote “Failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s part of it”. That’s why I like events like F*ck up nights because it really shows you that successful people have all gone through failures to get to where they are. I like to remind myself of this when I make my own mistakes. It’s not the end of the world; it’s just part of the journey.”
[Editor’s note: The next F*ck Up Nights event is happening on Thursday, July 26th!]
What’s it like working in the shared space OKGNworks?
“Have you read startup communities? In the book, the author mentions that people need to be willing to help without expecting anything in return, and I think that is like totally what happens here in the shared space. If I ever need help people are more than willing to share their opinions and thoughts, it is nice to work in that environment.”
#givefirst
Who are your biggest cheerleaders?
“Andrew Greer is definitely one of my biggest cheerleaders. I came into the job not really having that much experience, and he’s really been so supportive in helping me grow and in challenging me in my career. I am grateful for that.”
Connect with Amanda. Learn more about Purppl. Hungry for more? Meet Steven.
Have you seen the rest of the OKGNtech faces? Follow us on Instagram.
