Spread across the four campuses of Okanagan College in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, and Salmon Arm, Enactus Okanagan College is a non-profit student run organization that develops and implements projects in our communities that improve the quality of life and standard of living across the region!
Our area faces many challenges, and each community in the region has its own unique needs – but where others see problems, we see opportunities! Our team is committed to addressing the needs of our communities by partnering with local organizations to implement projects that really make a difference.
Our approach is based on a common set of values that inform our perspective. We want to drive change in our communities, not to give a hand out to those in need, but to work side by side with them to create opportunity. Through our projects, we enables progress to transform lives and communities across the valley.
Danielle Walker
Project Manager
Hometown: Kelowna, B.C.
Field of Study: Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting Specialty
Graduation Date: Spring 2022
Career goal: To become a Chartered Professional Accountant, to continue my work as an entrepreneur, and to remain actively involved in my community.
Devin Rubadeau
Hometown: Kelowna, BC
Enactus is about students finding creative ways to overcome challenging social problems. The CANsave program does this by teaching critical financial literacy skills in a way that is fun and engaging. Primary aged students will be better prepared for their future thanks to CANsave.
Abbey Jones
Hometown: Kelowna, B.C.
Field of Study: Bachelor of Business Administration Honours, Marketing Specialty
Graduation Date: Spring 2018
Career goal: Establish and lead a non-profit organization that champions a social cause, mixing her passions of entrepreneurship and making a positive difference in the lives of others.
What made you want to create CANsave? Basic financial knowledge was something I struggled with coming out of high school, so I wanted to create something that changed that struggle into a positive by facilitating financial responsibility for future generations. You’ve got to start young to instill fundamental concepts, and I saw CANsave as an opportunity to do that in a creative, imaginative and simple way.
Cameron Starcheski
Hometown: Leduc, Alberta
Field of study: Bachelor of Business Administration Honours, Accounting Specialty
Graduation: Spring 2019
Career goal: Chartered Professional Accountant
What made you want to create CANsave? After graduating high school I moved away from home and immediately found out how much I didn’t know about my finances. This is a common problem for people my age, and it seemed as if not much was being done to fix that problem. Our team had one goal in mind: to improve the financial education of the younger generation so they don’t have to experience the same things we did.
Hannah Griffin
Hometown: Kelowna, BC
Field of study: Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Accounting
Graduation date: Summer 2016
Career goal: Chartered Professional Accountant
What made you want to create CANsave? I wanted to create CANsave because I experienced a definite gap in the current financial literacy curriculum. I personally went through grade school, high school, and my first degree without ever coming across budgeting or saving. I want to help enable the next generation to make educated financial choices.
Cody Troutman
Hometown: Fort McMurray, Alberta
Area of Study: Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting
Graduation Date – Spring 2018
Career Goal – Obtain my CPA and practice public accounting.
What made you want to create CANsave? I wanted to create CANsave because it is clear that the school system in Canada does not teach kids enough about money management and financial literacy. It was a goal of mine to help create a project that taught these important life skills in a fun simple way!
Julia Lalach
Hometown: Kelowna, B.C
Field of study: Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance Specialty
Graduation date: Spring 2018
Career goal: Financial planner
What made you want to create CANsave? I wanted to create CANsave because I think financial literacy is an important concept that I wasn’t taught when I was in school. I wish I had a better understanding of budgeting and saving before going into my first year of college. I think it is critical that students start learning financial literacy at a young age so that they can create good saving/spending habits early on.
“The CANsave program involved students in critical life discussions and sparked an excitement and understanding of financial concepts not typically discussed in a classroom of eight year olds.”
