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 Thuy (pronounced Twee). Thuy Tran is the Programs Manager at Accelerate Okanagan. When Thuy isn’t helping to accelerate company growth,  you will most likely find her hanging out with her six-year-old son, or working on her photography business. We recently caught up with Thuy to learn more about what she loves about the Okanagan and who inspires her. 

Who inspires you? 

“My six-year-old inspires me every day. He doesn’t understand sarcasm or figure of speech, so he is very literal and hilariously honest. I think as adults we lose those simple things that kids still posses like curiosity and speaking your mind. I try to make sure that I learn from him and enjoy simple things in life.”

What do you enjoy about your role as Programs Manager?

“When I got out of school if you would have told me that one day I would be supporting entrepreneurs and working on accelerator programs I wouldn’t have believed you. When I first saw the job posting for my position, it didn’t even really resonate with me because I had never done anything like it before. But that’s the neat thing about working at Accelerate Okanagan; the roles are so versatile, and they allow you to develop a wide array of skills.”

“I have always liked working in supporting positions. As a photographer, I like to be behind the lens, and in my position as Program Manager at AO, I like that I get to support entrepreneurs behind the scenes.”   

What do you love about the Okanagan? 

 “The Okanagan is so incredible – who doesn’t want to live here, right? If you’re moving here for the lifestyle and there is a job here for you, you are going to have to create a job for yourself – so it makes sense that there are lots of entrepreneurs. It’s not even just tech founders; there are entrepreneurs in every industry.” #innovationiseverywhere

What do you love about OKGNtech?

“Before working at Accelerate Okanagan, I was an AO groupy. I used to go to all of the tech events. There are probably pictures of me at the very first New Years Kick Off party like six years ago. I’ve always enjoyed being around the tech community and just seeing where it has come from 10 years ago to now…it’s amazing. ” #Itsallherenow

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? 

“I try to be less interesting and more interested. Up until a few years ago, when I was meeting people I would try to impress others and end up talking about myself. Since then, I have learnt that there is so much more value being genuinely interested and engaged in the other person.”

What do you do outside of work? 

 “Outside of work I have my own photography business and I always said ‘I support entrepreneurs by day, and I try to be an entrepreneur by night’ and the latter is definitely a lot harder.”

 “I always joke that I am jill of all trades, master of none. I dabble in a lot of different interests, like my photography, train running, triathlons, and two-stepping. I did jiu-jitsu for a couple years and got my motorbike license. As silly as it sounds one day I want to be that grandma who has lots of stories to share with her grandchildren. I want to be able to say ‘I tried in this, I failed in this, I succeeded in this’.” #grandmagoals

(Editor’s note: Thuy has been training for the Apple Triathlon here in Kelowna!)