Have you ever thought about where you want to live after college? New York? San Francisco? Or good ole’ DC? Moving to a new region is a big milestone in your life. On the bright side, you are embarking on a new adventure in a strange city full of opportunities; on the other hand, you will leave behind your network of friends and mentors and will need to build a new one. What if there was a group of well-established University of Maryland and QUEST alumni who could help with your transition, provide mentorship, and invite you to informal social events?
QUEST has over 1,000 alumni in major cities in the U.S. and abroad. With active participation from members of Cohorts 1 through 19, the QUEST Alumni Board (QAB) has begun developing regional networks. The QAB will pilot three regions this fall: the Washington D.C. Metro Area, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area. There will be at least one quarterly alumni event in each region, and you can learn about any additional regional events and local alumni on a new QUEST Alumni Board web portal that’ll launch this fall.
The inaugural San Francisco Bay Area alumni happy hour was held in mid-August and was led by QAB member Linda Rassenti (Q17). There was a great turn out with about 14 alumni, and a lot of interest in getting involved and giving back to QUEST. Piloting this region will coincide with the program hosting its first student spring break trip to Silicon Valley. This will provide a great opportunity to host a joint student-alumni event in the area.
“I’m excited to continue to grow the QUEST alumni network, and I believe strengthening individual regions across the country will help make this happen.”
In addition, the New York alumni are planning a happy hour this fall and possibly a New Year’s Eve event. Local alumni and anyone visiting the area is more than welcome to join them at these events. All three region leads are excited to plan more alumni events in their areas. They’re always looking for additional support, so feel free to reach out with any questions or ideas you may have.
Linda Rassenti, Q17 (SF Bay Area): linda.rassenti@gmail.com
Chul Kwon, Q18 (NYC): chulk90@gmail.com
Eric Hamel, Q19 (D.C.): eric.x.hamel@gmail.com
