How the SlimmDuck Scholarship is Fueling Annessa’s Future

Annessa Dehaney is charting her path to combine her passion for food and nutrition with her desire to have a meaningful impact on the lives of senior citizens. As a Spanning the Gaps learner with college training in culinary skills, Annessa currently works as a chef and chef de partie at two nursing homes in the Toronto area. Upon hearing the news that she’s this year’s winner of the SlimmDuck Scholarship, she was initially surprised but once it sunk in, winning the award has some deeper meaning for her.

“[Winning the award] is empowering because I’ve had a long journey to get to where I am now. [The SlimmDuck Scholoarship] gives me the financial support and stress relief I need so I can focus on my studies and my career.”

Established by Chris Boucher of NBA Basketball team the Toronto Raptors and his SlimmDuck Foundation in 2023, the scholarship was created to help students of Caribbean descent to realize their academic aspirations. The award provides financial assistance to learners through the Spanning the Gaps bridging program. Last year, the inaugural winner was Helen Harry.

“I am so proud to continue to support students like Annessa,” says Boucher. “We established the SlimmDuck Scholarship to give back to the community, increase representation in higher education, and create a pathway to future success. Congratulations to Annessa - I look forward to following your incredible journey.”

A Passion for Nutrition

Annessa hopes to one day become a nutritionist, which has been inspired by her work in the nursing homes.

“I was inspired to get into the food and nutrition background because I make meals for the resident’s dietary needs like blenderizing purees and feeding people with conditions like Alzheimer’s and Diabetes. I want to know more about what nutrition would be for these residents and the science behind how different foods can help them,” she says.

After completing the culinary skills college program in August, Annessa registered in the Spanning the Gaps Transition Foundations Program at The Chang School to prepare her for studying full time at university as she needs the admission credits required to successfully apply to the Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition program at Toronto Metropolitan University.

She says she heard a lot about the food and nutrition program at TMU and liked that it’s an accredited program with organizations like The Canadian Diabetes Association. Annessa has already applied to the full-time program and hopes to start next year after she graduates from Spanning the Gaps.

Juggling Work and School

In her (limited) spare time, Annessa also runs her own catering business, cooking up delicious soul food dishes like macaroni and cheese and lobster tails for her local farmer’s market. One of her favourite dishes that she makes is baked macaroni and cheese with a Caribbean twist by including thyme and scotch bonnet for a “kick of flavour”. Her catering business can be found on Instagram under the name “@Nessa_Cooks”.

Annessa runs a catering business outside of school and working at the nursing homes

 

Even though she leads a very busy life, she’s not worried about balancing a full-time degree with working at the nursing homes and running her catering business.

“When I was at college I got one job to adjust the schedule for me and the other job was on weekends. So it worked out for me,” says Annessa.

 

Words of Advice

If she had to give advice to people considering the Spanning the Gaps program, she’d say, “Never underestimate yourself.”

“Another saying along those lines I live by is, ‘You can move mountains’. That’s always stuck in my head and I believe each step towards your goal is like moving one rock at a time. That’s what keeps me on track,” she says, reflecting on her journey so far.

Annessa’s goals don’t stop at getting her degree and working to improve the nutrition of seniors. Her catering business is part of a bigger dream to open up her own restaurant one day.