Within the University of Maryland’s Department of Information Technology, the Enterprise Planning Continuous Improvement Group (EPCI) consists of four team members who are actually QUEST alumni! This team is a QUEST hotspot as it is a consultation service that is provided for departments within the University. I was able to talk to two of the QUEST alumni – Emilyn Hyre (Cohort 34) and Bobby Fitzgerald (Cohort 21 – to learn about their positions at UMD and how QUEST has continued to stick with them post-college.

Both Hyre and Fitzgerald described the work they do as something quite similar to the work done in the QUEST program. Hyre mentioned that her job requires “analysis, interviewing stakeholders, process mapping, conducting research, and making recommendations to units across the university.” To all QUEST students, this sounds familiar to the projects we have worked on in class.

The EPCI team at a team bonding session.

Hyre also mentioned that QUEST helped her get this position. In her sophomore year at UMD, she applied to the EPCI team as an intern through the TWIQ (weekly QUEST newsletter)! This is why everyone should check the TWIQ for all of the amazing opportunities provided. She interned with the team until graduation and has worked full-time as a Process Analyst for a year-and-a-half now.

When asked about working with other QUESTees, both Hyre and Fitzgerald mentioned how it was comforting to know that there were others on the team with similar approaches and frameworks. “Having so many QUEST alums on the team means that the culture of the team, particularly around professional development, aligns pretty well with things we learned and did during our time in QUEST,” stated Fitzgerald. Hyre added that the team is “full of talented individuals who like to challenge themselves and solve complex problems,” which reminds her of past QUEST teams that she worked with.

The EPCI team participates in a rocket competition.

Fitzgerald praised how QUEST helped his design thinking process, adding that the program helped him think in a structured and systematic way. “Overall, I’d say the core ideas behind QUEST are incredibly relevant to any industry or career you go into, and you don’t have to be in manufacturing to gain value out of a systems thinking approach,” he shared.

Hyre and Fitzgerald wanted to share the following advice with current QUEST students:

“Don’t compare yourself to others, focus on what you want to do and go where your interests take you” – Emilyn Hyre (Cohort 34).

“Indecision is also a decision. A lot of people I know have taken plenty of time to figure out what they want to do after graduation (I still haven’t), but I also knew plenty of people who were afraid of specializing in something or picking a door for their career, and those decisions can also carry costs. That’s not to say you need to know what you want to do, but that you shouldn’t be afraid of what you think you’d like to do. If you want to be indecisive, be decisive about that decision. I’d just say don’t be afraid to be decisive and don’t be afraid to take risks – it’s easier to reset from an early career risk than it seems while you are in college.” – Bobby Fitzgerald (Cohort 21)