Douglas College SE grad opens 'sweet' biz

She's an award-winning Cher impersonator (see the resemblance?) who's taken her act all over BC and Ontario. And now, Cera Rivers - a recent grad of the Douglas College Self Employment Program - is opening Vancouver's first vegan cupcake shop. Read all about Fairy Cakes and its eclectic owner in a recent story in the Georgia Straight. Read more...

Grinding for Uganda: fundraiser hits the Grouse Grind

by Diana Stewart and Lawrence Becker

The Faculty of Child, Family and Community Studies will be participating in a 2.9 km hike on Sunday, July 17 up Vancouver’s most famous trail, the Grouse Grind, otherwise known as ‘Mother Nature’s Stairmaster.’ We are completing this hike in an effort to raise funds for our Uganda Project 2012 and it is open to anyone inside or outside the college community who wishes to participate.
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Watch the New Westminster concourse come to life!

Over the next few weeks you will see various events occur in the concourse. The new student common area steel structure will expand, and preparation for the new linoleum installation on levels 3 & 4 is in progress.

Look for the stage area to take shape after the concrete is poured next week. Watch for further updates, as access in this area may be restricted during the concrete delivery/pour. Sorry for the inconvenience!

The following services will be temporarily out of service:

Bridge walkways ~ levels 3 & 4
Level 4 – CLOSED WED, JUNE 22
Level 3 – CLOSED THU & FRI, JUNE 23 & 24
Bike Rack ~ Level 1 - next to Bookstore only. (Bike racks are available on P1 next to the parkade kiosk, outside levels 2 & 4.)
Vending Machines ~ levels 3 & 4

In the meantime, follow the progress on Flickr!

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CSSW opens up courses to all students at Douglas College

CSSW instructors Lawrence Becker and Nancy Newman invite all students to take two courses now offered as hybrids.

By Tamara Letkeman, doug Editor

If you’re looking for ways to spice up your course load with something new and cool, you’re in luck. The Community Social Service Worker (CSSW) Program will begin offering two courses to the wider community (i.e., non-CSSW students): Introduction to Social Work Practice (Fall), and Introduction to Social Welfare (Winter). And, for the first time ever, they’re being offered as hybrid courses – which means you meet with your instructor and classmates on campus for one week, and then online the next week.
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Douglas College National Aboriginal Day a hit

Today was National Aboriginal Day, and the New Westminster Campus celebrated in grand style. There was a bannock making workshop, hosted by Laura Cuthbert and Clyde Adams, both Student Assistants in Aboriginal Student Services, a bannock and chowder lunch (with Dave Seaweed, Coordinator of Aboriginal Student Services, at the ladle), a performance by the Git Hayetsk Dancers, and movies. Check out the pics on Flickr!

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'Visionary' Douglas College students win awards

Award-winning students Jermi Santos (l) and Avin Kishore (r), pictured with Tim Schmidt of Transitions Optical.

Optometry and opticianry students from across North America submitted projects for the 2011 Students of Vision Scholarship from Transitions Optical. Fifteen entries demonstrating this year's "multicultural" theme were selected as scholarship winners. Out of the three winners in the multimedia category, two  were from the Douglas College Dispensing Optician Program - Avin Kishore and Jermi Santos!

Check out the award-winning videos! Here's Jermi's:


Multicultural Vision from Jermi santos on Vimeo.

And Avin's:


A World Of Vision from Avin Kishore on Vimeo. Read more...

Douglas College interns blog from Uganda

Looking for some fascinating reading?

Seven Douglas College students are currently in Uganda and they invite you to check out their blog, which chronicles their adventures, woes, insights and challenges.

The students are completing 10-week practicums in the Community Social Service Worker Program, Co-occurring Disorders, Early Childhood Education and Therapeutic Recreation.They left in the middle of April and return to this side of the pond next week.

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Douglas College student wins international business competition

Like nobody's business: Accounting Management grad Donald Kelly single-handedly beat out 11 other teams from around the world to take first place in a competition for best business strategy. Read the full story.

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Biking to Douglas College? No problem.

Wanna start taking your two-wheeler to the College? It's not as daunting as you might think. College employee Ryan Cousineau has been doing it for years now, and he's put together a pretty awesome guide that tells you all about routes, equipment, clothing, tools and multi-modal commuting (taking your bike only part way, and then driving or taking transit the rest).
Check it out: Ryan's Excellent Guide to Cycling to Douglas Read more...

Douglas College instructor says Wikipedia improves students' work

Say what you like about Wikipedia - it's unstructured, it's biased, etc. But when English instructor Brenna Gray asked some first-year students to post biographies of Canadian writers on the online public forum, she found they took their work a lot more seriously, taking special care to double and triple check the accuracy of facts.

The results of her research, which she presented at the 2011 Congress of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton last week, have been covered by media outlets coast to coast. See what MacLeans, the National Post, The Province and the Royal City Record have to say.

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Douglas College Valedictorian pushed through fear of failure

Lindsay Terry, Dispensing Optician Program, Class of 2011 and Valedictorian

By Tamara Letkeman, doug Editor

Lindsay Terry says fear of failure is something she's had to transcend in her career as a student. "I’m someone who likes to do the things I excel at, and want to avoid all the rest," says Lindsay. "This just isn’t rational, and I needed to remind myself that I’m a smart, capable individual who is limited only by own doubts."

Her mantra worked. Lindsay graduates as Valedictorian this week with a Diploma in Advanced Opticianry, Contant Lenses, and Refraction Technologies.

She's already finished her practicum at Spectrum Optometry in South Surrey and has been hired on their full-time contact lens fitter. "The office is very committed to health care and strives to make the patient experience one to remember. Beginning my career in a place of this calibre feels like another goal accomplished."

As Lindsay exits college life for the real world, her advice to students entering the Dispensing Optician Program is: Be prepared for online study. "There is a lot of practical, hands on experience and in-class lectures, but also a lot of required online work to be done. Especially in the second year of the program, it is important to have the self discipline to work independently via the web-based programming. Of course, our instructors are there to guide and help us.

"Don’t be afraid to ask for help!" Read more...

Douglas College Valedictorian advises students to get involved

Aleem Jinnah, Bachelor of Business Administration, Class of 2011 and Valedictorian

By Tamara Letkeman, doug Editor

When Aleem Jinnah came to Douglas, he aimed to get his Marketing Management Diploma and then transfer to Royal Roads University to finish up his degree. But then things took a turn.

"When I was about to graduate with my diploma, I realized that I really enjoyed accounting. Strange, I know. And with Douglas College offering bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance, it was a natural fit."
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Douglas College Valedictorian fires up future

Nicole Pruden, Bachelor of Physical Education and Coaching,
Class of 2011 and Valedictorian

By Tamara Letkeman, doug Editor

On the first day of her final year in the Bachelor of Physical Education and Coaching program, Nicole Pruden suddenly realized she did not want to be a teacher. Fighting fires intrigued her more, and she immediately began to research a career in that field.

But instead of slacking off or quitting the program, Nicole continued to excel in her studies to earn her degree. What's more, she graduates as Valedictorian this week. "To finally graduate after five years of post-secondary education is an amazing feeling, but to graduate as Valedictorian is somewhat surreal," she says.
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