Celebrations will be abundant in the Dorsey family household as a mother and son duo crossed different college graduation stages on Saturday.
91裸聊视频淚 had set a personal goal of graduating college at the same time as my third child Noah would be graduating from high school,91裸聊视频� says Julie Dorsey, a mother of three grown children who returned to the classroom after 30 years in the farming business. She is one of the 1,386 Okanagan College students who received their credentials at three ceremonies this weekend in Kelowna.
Dorsey91裸聊视频檚 journey to complete her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Honours degree included some pit stops. She started on the path of getting an education degree then got married, had three children (now aged 30, 26, and 18), and went on to run a poultry farming business for three decades with her husband where they raised 40,000 chickens every eight weeks.
She stepped back in the classrom when they were done with the farming business, which enabled her to make a college education her primary focus.
91裸聊视频淛ust because I got married young, doesn91裸聊视频檛 mean I had to forgo the opportunities that education brings,91裸聊视频� says Lake Country resident Dorsey. 91裸聊视频淚f I didn91裸聊视频檛 finish my degree, I91裸聊视频檇 regret that. I am so glad I persevered.91裸聊视频�
That perseverance resulted in Dorsey making the Dean91裸聊视频檚 list every semester. She was also awarded the Honours Prize for Progressing Non-profit Excellence: a $1,500 award founded by alumna Amanda Wright.
91裸聊视频淐oming into the program, I was worried about how I would engage in my studies while also running a business, and how I would connect with other students who would be closer to my children91裸聊视频檚 ages,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淪tarting at the smaller Vernon campus afforded me a gentle start.
91裸聊视频淚 thought I91裸聊视频檇 feel more competent because of our years in business, but farming is unique. I learned that the complexities of the business world were much greater than what we did on the farm.91裸聊视频�
Dorsey wanted to apply those learned complexities to the non-profit sector, especially after having volunteered her time on various boards, events, and at her church. Even before having her degree in hand, she has been hired as an assistant property manager at the Society of Hope in Kelowna.
91裸聊视频淎fter a successful farming career, I am working by choice and I wanted a job that would give me purpose,91裸聊视频� Dorsey explains. 91裸聊视频淚n my non-profit management course, our professor, Kerry Rempel, had said that the sector needs the skills that we are building here at OC, and that91裸聊视频檚 what inspired me to go into that field.91裸聊视频�
Always a mother, Dorsey can91裸聊视频檛 help but recount the unique experience of going to College simultaneously with her Grade 12 son Noah, who is taking the carpentry pre-apprenticeship program at Okanagan College for dual credit while finishing high school at George Elliot Secondary.
91裸聊视频淚t was neat, and helped me feel connected as a parent,91裸聊视频� she explains. 91裸聊视频淏y going to College together, we could have conversations about the experience and I was able to ask him pointed questions.91裸聊视频�
One of her most memorable education-meets-family moments was having her son, and parents, attend her Honours presentation.
91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 when things really came full-circle for me,91裸聊视频� she says.
91裸聊视频淲e provide access to education to help students fulfill their career goals, and foster their passion for learning,91裸聊视频� says Jim Hamilton, president of Okanagan College. 91裸聊视频淥ur learners come from diverse backgrounds and communities and we celebrate all of their success. On behalf of Okanagan College I commend each of our 2017 graduates on their achievements.91裸聊视频�
This weekend91裸聊视频檚 ceremonies were three of the seven ceremonies held by Okanagan College this year. The first took place in January and an additional three ceremonies will be held later in June. More than 2,140 students will have graduated from Okanagan College in 2017 before the end of the month.
