Etobicoke - Former student-athlete, staff member and coach, Chantelle Vito, is grateful for the time that she spent learning and growing outside the classroom.

Chantelle Vito (Zanette) left her hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario to join the Humber Women’s Volleyball program in 2007, and immediately began to build lasting connections with others in the Humber Athletics Department.  As a member of two OCAA Championship Teams, Vito had many opportunities to train, travel, connect and grow outside of the OTA/PTA classroom.  

Vito worked as a student employee on the Varsity Operations Team, helping to deliver top-notch varsity game and event experiences, as well as taking on office assistant and gym supervisor roles.  She used her student employment opportunities to discover her own strengths, to find out what truly motivated her, and to enhance a sense of connection that she already felt within the department.

In her final academic year, with a lot of work experience and a vast knowledge of the sport of volleyball, Vito jumped at the chance to coach the Extramural Co-Rec Volleyball team under the Campus Recreation umbrella.  Having no formal coaching experience or training, it was up to Vito to lead the program and also to learn about it simultaneously.  She had an immediate impact on the program during her first year of coaching and she was awarded the Extramural Coaching Award of Excellence across all sports. 

During the next few seasons, Vito was able to lead Humber’s Extramural Co-Rec Volleyball team to a number of OCCCR extramural tournament championships while helping them to develop transferrable skills both on and off the court.  She, as well as the players, learned about time management, commitment and hard work while always maintaining a fun and inclusive atmosphere.  Remaining involved in sport after exhausting her years of collegiate sport eligibility was a great outlet for stress relief and regular physical activity for Vito.

“Coaching was an absolute privilege and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity. It was so fun watching the athletes work hard, excel and gel as teammates.  The memories of the student athletes that I had the pleasure of coaching will always stay with me,” she recalls.  She was awarded another two Coaching Awards of Excellence, bringing her total to three.  Vito coached for six seasons, including 2013 when the team was named the Extramural Team of the Year under her leadership.

After graduating from the OTA/PTA program in 2010, Vito has provided care for seniors, volunteered as a youth volleyball coach, and sold home medical equipment as traditional OTA/PTA roles were challenging to find.  Currently, she is working under the insurance umbrella where she hopes to utilize her formal education in an out-of-the-box way.  

Vito is married and has a daughter and a stepdaughter, both with an early love of sports, and a family pup named Finley.  She has continued to be active in sports, trading in volleyball for playing recreational hockey and also supporting her stepdaughter’s on-ice ventures.  Travel has involved a lot of youth sports tournaments in the GTA and across the border, as well as visiting friends and family.

She stays in contact with a number of staff and students she met at Humber, and is grateful for all of the memories and experiences.  Her advice to current and prospective student athletes is to embrace the time that they have and build lasting memories, and to not be afraid to seek out support when needed.  It’s truly a family atmosphere at Humber.