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 Phil. Phil Ashman is the Regional Dean for the Central Okanagan at Okanagan College. What does this even mean? Phil spends a lot of his time helping people understand what role the College plays in our community but also helping the College understand what’s going on in the community. Need help plugging in? Phil’s your guy. We recently caught up with Phil to learn more about the Okanagan College and what he loves about #OKGNtech.
What do you love about #OKGNtech?
“When I came to the Okanagan I got heavily involved in tech. I was on the board for the Okanagan Regional Innovation Centre which was a precursor to Accelerate Okanagan. Watching this industry evolve and grow has been as exciting as standing on the sidelines of a playoff game.”
What’s your favourite thing about the Okanagan?
“I love how the definition of a balanced lifestyle has changed. Balance is actually doing something that you enjoy and therefore your enjoying your work. I think I work a little too much. But that’s because I love what I do.”
What is something that people don’t know about you?
“I met my wife Kyla when we were in grade 10 and we’ve been together ever since” #highschoolsweethearts
What advice do you have for students?
“It’s important to have a certain level of aptitude but what I’ve realized is who you are as a person is equally as important. The things that people will remember you for are how you treat people, how you support them, how generous you can be—this is what ultimately determines your destiny.” #Givefirst
Tell us about the Okanagan College
“Okanagan College is recognized across the globe. We pride ourselves on bringing in instructors with real-world experience. Quite a lot of them still have their hands in their fields [Editor’s note: YES to this!]. A great example of this is the Enactus Regionals competition that recently took place in Calgary. It was incredible to see how we stacked up in relation to other institutions across the country. It’s really is quite amazing what we’ve accomplished as a community.”
What’s the best piece you can give us?
“One of the biggest things I’ve learnt is the importance of failure. Being able to learn from failure and being able to take that resilience and pick yourself up and keep going—that, to me, is inspirational.”
Connect with Phil. Learn more about Accelerate Okanagan. Hungry for more? Meet Jenna.
Are you following our new #OKGNtech faces Instagram?
