Article by Alex Bansleban (Q18)
Free dinner? Sign me up! This was what went through my mind when I saw an email about the QUEST Student-Alumni Networking dinner, which took place on February 15th. I was a little stressed out on this particular Wednesday due to classes, projects, meetings, and the semester kicking off in full force. I didn’t know how many current QUEST students would be going. I didn’t know how many alumni there would be. And best of all, I was reminded that I lost my QUEST name tag a year ago and never bothered to get a replacement. I felt nice and awkward.
I showed up a bit early to Ledo’s Restaurant and was comforted to see a friend and brand-new alumnus, Ross Westermeier (Q16). As we waited for more people to arrive, we spoke about life after graduation and his current job. I had lost touch and forgot that he began working in DC; I guess he couldn’t find it in his heart to travel too far away from QUEST!
In due time, Kylie Goodell—who organized the night’s event—and Dr. Bailey arrived. We began filling two large tables in the back of the restaurant. The alumni who were present at the dinner were Sasha Petrenko (Q15), Rob Seweryniak (Q4), and Russell Lyons (Q16). The current students who were in attendance included: Angela Wu, Prateek Kukreja, Jessica O’Keefe, Santiago Miret, Sara Bleistein, and Linda Rassenti. It was great to see so many current students interested in meeting our graduates!
Of course, many of us current students were interested in what life is like after graduation. Russell described walking around campus: “New freshman look like they are middle school aged, and the stress radiating from students walking around campus is palpable. Luckily, Ledo’s pizza has not changed.” And luckily for me, my fellow table-mates were not particularly big eaters; I got to take home an entire box of pizza. Some students—like Angela Wu—were woefully unprepared for the large salad appetizer.
Rob, sitting at my table, described when he was a part of the program just recently after its change of name from IBM-TQ to QUEST. Prateek (Q17) was eagerly asking questions about work after graduation with GE, since Rob had similar work experience. Jessica O’Keefe also described her conversation with Sasha, who currently works at KPMG. Jessica, with a KPMG internship lined up for this summer, noted that “it was a great opportunity to hear more about the company from someone with a similar background and first-hand experience working there.”
Overall the alumni dinner was a great event. I think Russell sums it up excellently: “I am always impressed by the activities QUEST students are involved in and know that the program is in good hands.” Make sure you come out to the next alumni networking event!