Adrian Zettergreen, (left) and her book buddy Jalila Stephens, share a moment during the Gateway Program graduation celebration Jan. 24 at Okanagan College.

(CARLI BERRY / iNFOnews.ca)

With the help of Central School Gateway Program students, Okanagan College is sending a renovated shipping container full of thousands of books to Africa.

The Central School students celebrated their graduation from the program Friday, Jan. 24 and showed off their projects highlighting how they’ve overcome personal challenges. It was also an opportunity for the students to speak about a new project they worked on, which turned an old shipping container into a library/literacy centre.

Students constructed shelves and planed wood to install inside the library, which will be sent to Uganda through Niteo, a non-profit society that helps establish literacy centres across Africa.

Central School students created shelves for this shipping container to turn it into a library.

Image Credit: Rob Law

“It was fantastic,” said Teresa Kisilevich, associate dean of Trades and Apprenticeship. The college also held a book drive, and piles of books were donated.

Central School student Adrian Zettergreen said Gateway helped push her to overcome her anxiety and challenges with mental illness as well as kept her grounded when she had to relocate her entire life to her aunt’s house, who is a single mother of three.

The biggest takeaway was learning to collaborate with her peers.

“I’ve never had that experience before with a team of contradicting opinions of what to do and how to do it; trying to figure out who’s right and who's wrong,” she said.

Eleven students graduated from the Gateway Program this year. During the graduation ceremony, Central students were also greeted by their Grade 3 book buddies. As part of the program, the older peers read to the elementary students.

Gateway to Trades is a collaboration between Okanagan College and Central School. Students in Grades 10 to 12 have an opportunity to explore trades training in programs like carpentry, electrical, sheet metal and culinary arts for roughly 10 weeks.

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