Cohort 3 alumna Eden (Kroeger) Burks was inducted into the University of Maryland’s Athletics Hall of Fame on November 2, 2018. While in town to celebrate her amazing accomplishment, Eden was able to attend the women’s volleyball team game and meet current players and other newly inducted HOFers.

Mrs. Burks played for the university from 1994-1997 and was able to experience QUEST when it was still a new program around campus. I had the opportunity to chat with her to learn a little bit about her experiences with volleyball, QUEST, and UMD overall.

Eden grew up in Colorado and faced a major decision when it came time to commit to a university. After being recruited by a variety of teams, she fell in love with many aspects of UMD. “Aside from the coaching staff and team here, I immediately knew I wanted to be in the business school and especially took a great interest in QUEST.” She was seeking a challenging educational environment and was naturally drawn to the new interdisciplinary program that, at the time, was offered to only business and engineering students.

One of the biggest takeaways she felt that she gained from her time in QUEST was the value in understanding the different ways people think. “When I graduated, I immediately found the need to understand the minds of people like engineers. Thanks to QUEST, I was exposed to working on a team with them every day.” We never know what type of people we will encounter on a day-to-day basis, so understanding the value of diverse perspectives is crucial.

Eden found that teamwork was relevant in everything she was involved in on campus. Between volleyball and QUEST projects, she constantly was collaborating with those around her to “win.” However, she made it a point to mention a specific aspect of teamwork she valued the most when asked about any advice she would give to current students.

“You’re not going to remember your exact grade, but you’re going to remember the fun times and the craziness around it.” She distinctly remembered making goofy videos for QUEST presentations above everything else, and those college memories are some of her favorites.

Eden truly made the QUEST community proud with such a career milestone! Congratulations again!