There are a few things in life that never change. Students rub Testudo’s nose for good luck, Emily Marks has a smile on her face, and Dr. Armstrong always teaches the QUEST introductory course BMGT/ENES190H. But this upcoming fall, that will no longer be a reality. After a nine-year tenure with QUEST, Dr. Armstrong has decided to retire after a successful teaching career.

I had the honor of being a mentor for Dr. Armstrong this semester and it was amazing to see the smallest adjustments she made to make sure that the cohort was successful. One day Dr. Armstrong walked into class and said that the students all seemed stressed out in class about their projects. During the lab that night she made the decision to change what we were doing – instead of working on new materials she gave teams the space to work on their projects. The energy of the students before and after the lab had changed completely. Dr. Armstrong knew exactly what the class needed to be successful. In my mind, this was the sign of a great professor because she put off all the important content to help her students.

Dr. Armstrong with Cohort 39 in Fall 2022.

Personally, I can also attest to how helpful Dr. Armstrong has been to me over my collegiate career. In addition to teaching BMGT/ENES190H, she also served as a faculty advisor for my capstone project in BMGT/ENES490H. Throughout my time in QUEST, I could always go to Dr. Armstrong for answers – between questions regarding how to help my mentee team work through a difficult situation or how to have a tough conversation with the client, she always knew what to do. She has so much experience in the classroom and in the field and was eager to share it with anyone who came to ask for advice.

Dr. Armstrong started working with QUEST almost a decade ago. She began teaching with Cohort 21 and has worked with almost half of the cohorts that QUEST has ever had by finishing with Cohort 40! In her time in QUEST, she has taught almost a thousand QUEST students how to deal with ambiguity. 

Dr. Armstrong always puts into practice what she preaches too because BMGT/ENES190H has had many iterations including having 3 projects in the course (which is now 2) and having the new BMGT190H final instead of a written final (sorry though, no spoilers about what the final currently is). 

Over time, she has been integral in making the QUEST community what it is by helping foster a community that is high achieving, innovative and curious. Her impact will be felt constantly in the lives of her students. Thank you Dr. Armstrong for everything that you have given to this program for years!