This feature originally appeared in the Summer edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to calbearbackers@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.


When senior rower Kendall Chase was tasked to reflect on her undergraduate career as a Golden Bear, she didn't just focus on her athletic accomplishments. She looked at what she could do next.
 
Named the 2016 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's rowing, the Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship recipient plans to attend medical school and become a doctor for all the right reasons.
 
"Through my major, I was able to see health and illness from both a sociological and psychological perspective," said Chase, who crafted her major to focus on health and illness. "I believe that there are too many doctors practicing medicine that see their patients as biological machines and don't encompass the entirety of their patient's body, lifestyles, state of mind, and environment."
 
Balancing a full courseload and competing at the highest level as a student-athlete, Chase knew of the challenges that she faced.
 
"Being the ambitious person that I am, I decided to commit myself to Cal's standards not only because I wanted to be a part of the culture that surrounds Cal," she said, "but also because I knew that I would be pushed as both a student and as an athlete."
 
Chase credits her hard work and determination as factors to her success in the classroom and on the water.
 
And the Evergreen, Colo., native is no stranger to success. As a freshman, she was chosen to be in the top boat and was the only underclassman on the varsity eight that won both a Pac-12 and NCAA championship. "Being surrounded by seniors and juniors forced me to step up and hold myself to a higher standard so that I could contribute to the competitive culture that my boatmates installed throughout the team," she said.
 
The following season, Chase continued as an underclassman, helping the Bears to second-place finishes at Pac-12s and NCAAs. By her junior year, Cal completed the regular season undefeated with a Pac-12 team championship once again. But in the crew's last race, the varsity eight fell to Ohio State by .46 seconds in the grand final of the NCAA Championships. The Bears walked away as the national runner-up, but Chase used that opportunity to learn more about herself saying, "I believe that failures and losses exist to make people grow as individuals. I know that my teammates and myself grew from that loss and matured as athletes."
 
As a senior and a leader of the top varsity eight boat this past spring, the interdisciplinary studies major led the Bears to their second consecutive Pac-12 title in May. And just two weeks later, she culminated her Golden Bear career by bringing home an NCAA team championship, the first for the program in 10 years.
 
Chase is now utilizing those lessons learned and challenges faced to pursue medical school and make a difference in the lives of others. She believes that the medical fields is more than just "fixing" problems: "It is being able to make a difference in people's lives, and I have a burning desire to be that person who can make that difference," she said.