Hello everyone, and welcome back to another exciting school year! We are your new hosts, Sona and Andrew, and we’re here to tell you all a bit about ourselves.
Get to know the new Editor-in-Chiefs!
Name: Sona Chudamani
Pronouns: She/her
Year: Junior
Cohort: 37
Major: Computer Science
Reason for joining QUEST: I wanted to be surrounded by people with a similar work ethic, but also different perspectives and experiences. I am a big people person and hugely in favor of working in teams because of how you get to meet new and interesting people, so QUEST was the program for me.
Campus involvements: I’m the Head TA for Girls Who Code and an active member of AWC (Association for Women in Computing)! I’m also a research fellow in the engineering and physics schools – we just finished up a paper on engineering ethics in the Scholars programs. Feel free to reach out if you’re interested in joining or want to learn more!
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift – I am OBSESSED! Talk to me about Taylor anytime anywhere, and we will be best friends. My favorite genres are pop, indie, and country, so feel free to ask for song recs or send me cool music 🙂 — funny note to add: I wrote this before Midnights was announced, so I can confidently say I am NOT okay!!
Favorite TV show: Dickinson and The Office. Also Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel. And WandaVision. I also have watched every single episode of Grey’s Anatomy, multiple times, so there’s that (I’m very indecisive so this is hard for me).
Favorite movie: Everything Everywhere All at Once – had me sobbing and laughing at the same time. Also Legally Blonde – girl boss energy is THROUGH THE ROOF.
Favorite ice cream flavor: Cotton Candy or Cake Batter 🙂 Essentially if the flavor looks like something a 5-year-old would order, that’s what I’m gonna get!
Best place I’ve traveled: Hawaii – you GOTTA try the pineapples.
Random fun fact: I can say the alphabet backwards in under 5 seconds and I can solve a Rubik’s cube in under a minute. For some reason, I have a weird fascination with doing random tasks in short amounts of time.
Name: Andrew Sien
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Year: Senior
Cohort: 36
Majors: Accounting and Information Systems
Reason for joining QUEST: When I went to my admitted students day as a senior in high school for the Robert H. Smith School of Business, I saw a presentation about QUEST. The idea about working with students from other majors and having a great community in QUEST was actually the reason I came to the University of Maryland. I am not sure what I would have done if I didn’t get into the program.
Campus involvements: I am currently the president of College Mentors for Kids! If you are interested in joining, please feel free to reach out and ask questions. I am also a TA, tour guide, and involved in Greek life.
Favorite artist: I listen to so many different kinds of music, everything from country to classic rock to rap and pop. I would say my favorite artist has to be Post Malone. I could listen to his music all day and never grow tired of it.
Favorite TV show: If we are talking sitcoms then it’s “How I Met Your Mother” but my favorite show is a horror show on Netflix called “The Haunting of Hill House.” The character development is beautiful.
Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite ice cream flavor: Sea salt caramel pretzel
Best place I’ve traveled: Paris, France
Random fun fact: Last year, Dr. Bailey let me wear his bow tie at the QUEST Formal. For some foolish reason, I gave it back to him instead of keeping it.
We are so excited to be giving you updates about all things QUEST this year! We have an amazing team that is going to be giving you all the updates about everything going on in QUEST. Please use this link to find out more about our team! If you have any ideas for something we should write about or someone from your cohort that we should spotlight, please email us at umdquestpress@gmail.com as we are always looking for new stories. We are so excited to lead you into the 30 year anniversary of QUEST!