On November 12th and 13th, QUEST was able to commemorate the past 30 years with two major events: the QUEST 30th anniversary event on the rooftop of the Hotel and brunch at Busboys and Poets.
Let’s take a moment to think about everything that has happened over the last 30 years. Since the creation of the program, QUEST has been able to see so much change in the world. QUEST was around to see the internet boom, the first African American president and the COVID-19 crisis. We cried when Dr. Bailey left the program and cheered when we saw both our men’s and women’s basketball teams win their first national champions. Internally, we saw the program change from IBM-TQ to the QUEST Honors Program and go from one cohort per year to two. The QUEST program has seen so much in the past 30 years and has so much more to see in the next 30 years and beyond.
Current students at the Celebration at the Hotel
When arriving at the QUEST 30th anniversary event, you couldn’t help but immediately walk outside and take in the view from the top of the Hotel. You were able to see everything from the Brendan Iribe Center to the Basketball and Football Stadiums and even the Washington monument. While the view was beautiful, it was hard to find time to sit there and admire it with all the alumni, students, faculty, and staff in attendance. There were attendees from Cohort 1 all the way through Cohort 40 who were able to mingle, look back, and look ahead. They were able to hear from Dean Mullins, Dean Konana, and interim Dean Joe Bailey, test their QUEST knowledge with a game of Kahoot trivia, and reflect on the past and future of the program at the reflection station.
Andy Shallal, CEO of Busboys and Poets, speaks at the brunch
The fun didn’t end there, however. The next day students were able to meet up with alumni at the 30th anniversary brunch at Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville. This event was centered around the current students making connections with alumni and having more individual conversations over a nice meal. Attendees ate and enjoyed a speech by the CEO of Busboys and Poets, Andy Shallal, as he commemorated the program for all that it has achieved in the past 30 years and all that it will achieve in the future. Marne Malone, a Cohort 37 student who attended the event, commented, “The brunch was a great ending to the 30th celebration, and it was great hearing from the founder of busboys and poets. He spoke so well about the opportunities in entrepreneurship and to follow your passions no matter the obstacles.”
Thanks to all who joined us to celebrate 30 years of QUEST! You can view all of the photos from the weekend here.