QUEST has many opportunities to give back to the community, whether it’s through volunteering for events or mentoring for the newer cohorts. I had the opportunity to talk to three current BMGT/ENES190H mentors as well as a past mentor about their experiences!
Nakisa Rafiee (Q36), a senior Accounting and Information Systems major, initially decided to become a 190H mentor because she needed the elective, but ended up having a lot of fun! Her favorite part so far has been getting to connect with her amazing mentees and help them through their first QUEST class (shout out team I QUEST my case)!
Rafiee (left) with her Cohort 39 mentees: Emily, Vinamr, Manny, John, and Sneha
Jason Devers (Q38), a junior Computer Science major is currently a mentor for Cohort 39. When asked about his reasoning for becoming a mentor, he replied “My mentor in 190H really helped guide my team and was a great bridge to introduce students into the QUEST program. I developed my leadership and communication skills over time through my role as a teaching assistant and a resident assistant at UMD and wanted to help students feel welcomed into the QUEST program.” In terms of his favorite mentoring experiences, “I love seeing how far not only my team, but other teams have come as well. From their orientation presentations to their first project presentations, you can see how much more knowledgeable and confident students are. I take a lot of pride in my team and am very proud of how far they’ve come. Shoutout QFF!!!”
Caroline Dull of Cohort 36 decided to become a 190H mentor because of HER 190H mentor, Dillyn Payne (Cohort 32)! “She highly recommended it. It’s been super fun so far, and I definitely recommend it to any QUEST students who need an elective!” Her favorite part so far has been bonding with the other mentors and with her 190H team! “I’ve gotten to know so many people I didn’t know before.”
From left to right: Jen Chiang, Caroline Dull, Chris Li, Michael Mallamaci, Mudit Mathur, Miriam Oke
Mutaz Ahmed of Cohort 32 was a mentor for Cohort 37 (my mentor actually!). He became a mentor because he wanted to “stay connected to the future generations of QUEST along with staying connected to QUEST in [his] extra semester.” When asked about his favorite part, he really enjoyed “seeing the growth that everyone in the team took over the course of a semester!”
Mutaz Ahmed and his mentees from Cohort 37
As a heads up for anyone who might be interested, mentor applications for next year (Cohorts 41 and 42) will open in February 2023!