With impeccable timing, as always, QUEST Corporate hosted its 9th Annual Networking Event, right in the midst of recruiting season. On September 20th, with 33 companies and over 150 students in attendance, students had the opportunity to engage with recruiters and other professionals to expand their networks for securing internships, jobs, and more. Many QUEST alumni also had the chance to return and connect with current students, witnessing how the program has evolved since their graduation.
This event took place in the Stamp Colony Ballroom, with participating companies spanning from consulting firms such as Deloitte and Tuscany Strategy Consulting to tech giants like Capital One and Bloomberg. Some of the current 490H capstone clients were also present, including BAE Systems and Total Wine & More.
I had the absolute privilege of reconnecting with the two previous QUESTPress Co-Leads, Tanu Kulkarni and Heather Bacon, recent graduates from Cohort 34, both of whom attended as representatives for Accenture.
“As a pretty recent QUEST graduate, it felt like it was one of the first times I could give back to the program with a lot of post-grad advice,” Kulkarni said. “Even though it’s only been a year and a half since I graduated, it was really nice meeting all the new QUEST students and staff I have never met before. I owe my current position to the QUEST program and being able to pay it forward was really meaningful.”
Tanu Kulkarni and Sona Chudamani (me!) at the QUEST Networking Event
Bacon spoke about how amazing it was to return to campus and see all the students, both old and new. “As a recent grad, it was still crazy to see sophomores that I knew as a senior being seniors now and being really proud of them and hearing about all of the exciting things they’ve been up to. Even the new students I met were super professional and had some really great questions, and it was awesome to see that.”
I also spoke to QUEST Corporate Co-Lead and Cohort 39 student, Adelina Seck, who helped organize the event. When asked about her takeaways, Seck remarked, “The QUEST Networking Event was a great opportunity for QUEST students to interact with representatives from over 30 amazing companies. Students engaged in meaningful conversations throughout the entirety of the event and made lasting impressions and connections that will benefit them in their professional futures. Some students even expressed that they received interviews as a result of their conversations at the event which is super exciting! In addition, the company representatives had extremely positive feedback about their interactions with QUEST students and were excited to stay in contact. In planning this event, our goal was to help QUEST students and company representatives form impactful relationships and give the students the opportunity to work on their professional development, and this event was definitely a success in reaching this goal! This event could not have been possible without the help of Jess [Roffe, our assistant director], Jacob [Uwimana, Co-Lead], and the QUEST Corporate committee as well as all the students and employers who joined us!”
The Networking Event may be over but exciting opportunities for our QUESTees are just beginning this semester. We want to express our gratitude to the companies that participated in the QUEST Corporate Networking Event on behalf of the QUEST community. To our awesome QUEST students, best of luck with your job/internship searches, and we can’t wait to see where you land!