Students at Okanagan College are playing a leading role in the water industry by learning to monitor, assess and protect both public health and water in the environment. Three students in the Water Engineering Technology (WET) Diploma program were recently awarded financial prizes in recognition of their commitment to their field and good grades.
The WET Diploma program offered at OC is a unique blend of traditional chemical and civil engineering technology combined with innovative water-focused environmental studies.
Vladimir Tuazon [left] is one of the three students who has received the Outstanding Student Award from the Environmental Operators Certification Program (EOCP).
“The hands-on learning opportunities of working with bodies of water, testing characteristics of surface and ground water built up my practical experience and were parts of the training that I really enjoyed,” he says .
Award winner Ryder Fortes [right] became interested in the WET Diploma as a way of giving back to his community and being a part of the solution in providing safe drinking water.
“In my experience, the WET program fosters a great community of people whose goals and aspirations are to conserve and improve the world’s most precious resource,” says Ryder. “The program gave me a new perspective on what happens to water in the environment and made me want to be a better steward of this resource.”
“Learning about treatment technologies and processes has opened my eyes to the importance of this field,” says WET program student and award winner Richard Graham [bottom.
“Generally, I find that waste-water treatment is an aspect of our communities that many people don’t give much thought to, which was certainly the case for me prior to entering the program,” he says. “Both of my co-op work terms were spent at waste-water treatment plants and I really enjoyed being able to apply what I had learned in class.”
This is the second year that three outstanding student awards were presented to students in the WET Diploma program.
The EOCP Outstanding Student Award is a cash prize awarded to second year students in water and waste-water programs who have obtained good grades in their program of study, as well as showing a commitment to the field of water and waste-water. The EOCP was the first organization in Canada to implement an Operator certification and facility classification program to better protect public health and the environment.
Learn more about the Water Engineering Technology program online.
[top photo] Stake Lake near Kamloops is a popular hiking spot in summer and home to the Overlander nordic ski club come winter. Photo by Yvonne Turgeon.
