Ryerson volleyball star gets assist from Spanning the Gaps

Recently, Ryerson University’s Spanning the Gaps bridging program received a $1-million boost from TD Bank to help more people obtain a post-secondary education. The program has been life-changing for many students, including 24-year-old Theanna Vernon, who’s currently finishing her bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Ryerson.

Originally accepted to play volleyball at Indiana’s Purdue University, Theanna’s family was struck by tragedy just six months before her high school graduation from Agincourt Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario. Theanna decided to stay in Scarborough with her family, but her grades prevented her from enrolling in a Canadian university.

Enter Spanning the Gaps. Dustin Reid, manager and head coach of Ryerson women’s volleyball, saw Theanna’s potential and connected her with the bridging program. She joined Spanning the Gaps after her high school graduation.

Fast forward five years. Theanna is now finishing her fifth and final season as middleblocker with the Ryerson Rams women’s volleyball team. At the end of the season, she received honours from the Ryerson Athletics department, the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) athletic association and U SPORTS, the national governing body for Canada’s university sports. Some of her accolades include receiving Ryerson’s H.H. Kerr Female Athlete of the Year award (external link) , and being named the OUA Female Athlete of the Year (external link)  and U Sports First-Team All-Canadian. In addition, she was a finalist for U Sports Female Athlete of the Year (external link) .

In her five seasons with the Ryerson Rams, Theanna played in 310 regular season sets and will graduate this spring as the program’s all-time leader in points, blocks, hitting percentage and service aces.

“I never knew what I wanted to do after leaving high school,” she says. “Spanning the Gaps gave me a year to dig deep and decide what program would suit me best and make me happy.”

Theanna singles out Janice Pinto, case co-ordinator with Spanning the Gaps, for special praise. “She’s been part of Spanning the Gaps for years and knows the ins and outs of the program,” she says.

The program gave her the opportunity to be in a university environment and after she completed it and was officially accepted to Ryerson, she was able to join the volleyball team. She also credits Spanning the Gaps with helping her to learn better study habits which gave her the confidence and discipline to succeed in Ryerson’s demanding social work program.

It’s been five years since Theanna took the first steps of her journey from nervous high school graduate to Ryerson athletics star. Her future seems limitless. Where does she plan on going from here? “Gaining experience in the social work field, and pursuing a career in professional volleyball!,” she says.

It’s another Spanning the Gaps win.

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