The QUEST Program has many benefits: learning opportunities, strong alumni network, and, surprisingly, romance! In fact, there are multiple QUEST alumni couples, some who even started to date during the program. We asked some of these couples to share their experiences in diving in and taking a QUEST for life.
Jess & Erick Alves de Sa (Cohort 16)
This couple first met during QUEST orientation and were on the same BMGT/ENES190H team! They started to date during the end of their junior year and have been together for over 13 years.
Cohort 16 BMGT/ENES190H Team: Erick Alves de Sa in center, Jess Alves de Sa third from left.
Currently, they are living together in the DMV area and remodeling their new place. This must be a busy time for the couple as they are managing this on top of their jobs: Erick Alves de Sa is a Development Manager at Sol Systems and Jess Alves de Sa is a Product Lead at Shopify and the professor for QUEST elective BMGT438N: Product Management.
Jess & Erick Alves de Sa during New Year’s Eve in Brazil!
Benita Poon & Matthew Kannan (Cohort 19)
Benita Poon and Matthew Kannan were in the same cohort, however they were never on the same team. They were friends throughout college, but did not actually start dating until they reconnected at a QUEST Alumni Happy Hour in New York.
QUEST Alumni Happy Hour: Matthew Kannan & Benita Poon pictured 3rd & 4th from the left, respectively.
The couple moved to San Francisco together in 2017, where they got engaged and married in 2019! These days, they are still in San Francisco and pursuing their careers. Benita Poon is working in Renewable Energy Investments at Google, and Matthew Kannan is the Head of Finance and Strategy at Osmind, a mental health tech start-up.
This November, they welcomed in a new family member – their daughter, Emilia. They are having fun and excited for this new chapter in their life!
Matthew Kannan, Benita Poon & Emilia!
Emmeline Zhu & Ningwei Li (Cohort 20)
Emmeline Zhu and Ningwei Li are high school sweethearts who first met at Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City, MD. They both wanted to join QUEST for their professional pursuits. Surprisingly, they were only in one team together, for BMGT/ENES 390H. They said that they didn’t want to spend too much time together in the program so they could meet more people!
This couple has lived all around the globe – Baltimore, Hong Kong, Chicago, and currently, Austin! In Austin, Emmeline Zhu is an Engineering Project Manager at Apple, and Ningwei Li is a Data Analyst at Citadel. Along with their career ambitions, they also have an 18-month old named Eleanor!
Emmeline Zhu, Ningwei Li, and their daughter, Eleanor.
Michael & Liz Vetter (Cohort 28)
This couple met on the first day of classes their freshman year, as they were in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Honors Program and lived in La Plata Hall! They started as close friends who decided to apply to QUEST together. After ending up in the same cohort, they walked down to Van Munching Hall together for their BMGT/ENES190H class.
Although they were not in the same building during their junior year, they became QUEST mentors together! This allowed them to bond over QUEST Camp and during the rest of the semester. Their first date was right after their weekly mentor class in April of 2018!
Spring 2018 QUEST Mentors: Michael Vetter (pictured 2nd from the top left) and Liz Vetter (bottom center).
After getting married in April 2022 and adopting a cat in October of the same year, this couple is keeping busy as they close on their first house. Michael Vetter, a Senior Fund Accountant at StepStone Group, and Liz Vetter, a Program Associate at Lutheran Services in America, have their hands full with this new project!
Michael and Liz Vetter repping UMD!
It is great to see the positive effects that QUEST has on people’s futures, albeit unexpected ones. We wish these couples all the best as they continue their journeys together and have a blast!