Meet Ratanee “Tanee” Chum, one of our Campus Rec Heroes. Throughout spring quarter, we'll be featuring Aggie graduates who are now working on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.

Tanee graduated from UC Davis in 2016 with a degree in anthropology/archaeology and was the coxswain on the club men’s crew team. Currently, Tanee is working as an EMT at the Sleep Train Arena Alternative Care Facility.

Reflecting on her time with the men’s rowing team, Tanee says:

“Crew was my family. We pushed each other to succeed, gave a kick to the rear when it was called for, and a shoulder of support when it was needed.”

Tanee first identified as a member of the rowing club, then as a student. As a coxswain, she reminisced on the early morning workouts and long hours on the water. Working as an EMT at the Sleep Train Amphitheater, she says the hours are long, and wearing PPE for the duration of a shift is uncomfortable.

Tanee says being called into action to help set-up and care for patients at the alternative care facility has been a motivating and rewarding experience – something she closely relates to the rowing club.

“I loved rowing because of the fantastic team dynamic that it builds—it's a group of people literally in the same boat, pushing themselves to the limit to achieve a common goal. And the team dynamic at the Sleep Train Arena is great.”

For sport club athletes whose seasons were cut short, Tanee has some words of advice:

“Keep moving forward. My coach would tell us that if we couldn't go to practice and give one hundred percent there, we had to give one hundred percent in whatever form we could. If we were injured, we had to give one hundred percent to recovery. If our academics were a challenge, we had to give one hundred percent to studying. Everything we did had to be moving forward towards our goal of success, even if it didn't seem obvious on the surface. The game is still in play, even if it's a little far away right now. So give your hundred percent toward your success, whatever that might look like, be it your physical fitness or your mental health or your connections with your teammates. Always move forward.”

Campus Recreation thanks Tanee for serving the community and for being this week’s Campus Rec Hero.