With the spring sports season canceled at its very beginning (or before it even started, for some Union teams) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UnionAthletics.com will spend the next few months spotlighting many of the Union seniors whose athletic careers came to a premature end. Previous senior profiles can be viewed by heading to http://www.unionathletics.com/seniorspotlights.
 
Dani Klein is a four-year member of the Union women's crew team and a two-year member of the varsity 8 boat. She was moved into the four-seat for her senior season after rowing mostly out of the two-seat as a junior, when she earned the team's Coaches Award. This season, she helped to start off her final year with a second-place finish at the Head of the Hudson Regatta in September. Previously, Klein rowed in the second varsity boat as a sophomore before moving her way up the ranks.
 
In addition to her time on the water, the psychology major has earned Liberty League All-Academic Team honors in her sophomore and junior seasons at Union.
 
What has been your favorite moment as a student-athlete at Union?
As cheesy as it sounds, there really isn't one moment that stands out above the rest. All moments spent with my teammates are the best times, from team dinners after practice, to training trips in Tennessee, and even the dreaded 2K tests. Not only are they my teammates, they are and will continue to be best friends who became family, and I am eternally grateful for each and every one of them.
 
How has being a student-athlete at Union benefited you over the last four years?
Being a student-athlete has enabled me to grow both on the water and in the classroom. I have learned to be persistent and to never give up, even during the tough moments, which I know are important skills I will carry with me throughout my life. 
 
What has been your most meaningful experience outside of athletics?
Definitely my time volunteering with the Discovery Academy at the Kenney Center. I started during my freshman winter as part of my social psychology class and stuck with it until winter term of my senior year. It was awesome to be able to take what I have learned at Union and give back to members of the community, knowing that I was making a difference. 
 
Who was/is your favorite professor at Union and why?
My favorite professor at Union has been Ken DeBono [Gilbert R. Livingston Professor of Behavioral Sciences]. I had him for Intro to Psychology my freshman fall and soon thereafter, he became my advisor, and even wrote me a recommendation for grad school. Aside from being a great professor in the classroom, Ken truly cares about each and every one of his students and goes out of his way to ensure their time at Union is the best it could possibly be. 
 
Do you have plans for post-graduation yet?  If so, what are they?
Next year I will be attending the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program at Tufts University. 
 
What advice would you give to younger athletes about their time at Union?
Enjoy every second of every minute of it all and don't take any of it for granted because it will be over in the blink of an eye.