Drumming up Aggie pride

UC Davis and Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh! alumni Ramak and Allison Siadatan may no longer march, sway or gleefully toss their badge- and button-covered hats sky high at football games, Picnic Day or community activities. 

But the couple—who met through the high-spirited marching band (Ramak on drums, Allison playing flute/piccolo)—and count eight Aggies among their extended family, still continue to drum up plenty of Aggie Pride through their giving to UC Davis and volunteerism with the Cal Aggie Alumni Association (CAAA).

Ramak, a sales enablement lead for a high tech firm in the San Francisco Bay Area, recalls that alumni participation was influential to them as students, and enriched their campus experience.

“We had mentors, friends, donors—a lot of different alumni who positively impacted our lives as we were going through school. We feel compelled to do the same for students who are on campus now,” he said.

During The Campaign for UC Davis the couple made gifts to support CAAA, the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh!, the UC Davis Annual Fund, the Graduate School of Management and student scholarships. They are both life members of CAAA, and Ramak became president of the CAAA Board of Directors in 2014.

“Giving back at UC Davis ranks pretty high among our priorities every year,” said Allison, who is a stay-at-home parent. “I think that comes from Aggie Pride—that sense of community that is just embedded in the personalities of the people who choose to go here.

 “Don’t underestimate the power of Aggie Pride.”