Article by Russell Lyons (Q16)

Becoming a part of QUEST was one of the most important things that happened to me during my time at Maryland. I still remember the day I found out I would be joining QUEST: I was sitting at my summer internship, trying to look busy near the end of the day, when I got a call from Rachel Cohen asking if I was interested in joining. I had originally been on the waitlist; I was so excited, I was at a loss for words on the phone.

I think what really set the tone for my QUEST experience was my 190 team. We had a great mentor in Schquita Goodwin and my teammates and I are all still close friends. Arriving at the bus for QUEST camp I didn’t know anyone who was going to be there. I recognized a couple engineers I had classes with freshman year but that was it. QUEST camp really showed me the type of people I would come to meet in QUEST; it rained the whole time there, but everyone still had fun and engaged in the activities, regardless of how silly or challenging they were. The class with Dr. Suarez that fall was always interesting and sometimes nerve-racking, like the time he stormed out of class after giving us a pep talk. He and Rachel moved on to other positions at the university after that fall and, to be honest, I didn’t think QUEST was going to be the same without them. Those doubts quickly passed, thanks to the new faculty who joined the staff.

Junior year was a little different than the first year in QUEST. Not everyone from our cohort would be taking 390 at the same time, but the class was going to be taught by Dr. Suarez, which I was looking forward to. I also signed up for the Lean Six Sigma elective with Dr. Bigio, which turned into being my first real consulting experience, working for Marriott International. I learned a lot that fall. The systems thinking course was a lot different than anything I had been exposed to in my previous 15 years of learning, it was much more focused on what we would remember two or twenty years later rather than the grade we would get in the class. I studied abroad during the spring semester of my junior year and was a little disconnected from the program.

Senior year was definitely my favorite time in QUEST. I was a teaching assistant for 390 and the Six Sigma course, which helped me connect with the faculty more. In 490, I had another great team to work with, and our project was one we felt we made a difference on. The best part of senior year was spending more time outside of class with our cohort. From the happy hours to the 490 conference to the ski trip to spring break, there are a lot of great memories with my friends in QUEST. If I could give one piece of advice to the younger students it would be to focus not on what QUEST can do for you, but how you can use it to help others.