Author Archives: Jessica Roffe

Winter Break: QUEST Style!

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Would you rather be sitting by the fire, drinking hot chocolate, and staring out of the icy window of your snow-coated ski lodge? Or, would you prefer lounging lazily on the beach, book in hand, working on perfecting your winter-tan? I know what I would rather do – but let’s see what the QUESTees did on their winter breaks!  

Jack Sturtevant (Q29)

Jack Sturtevant, Q29, was still studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark during his winter break. Jack said, “I went to so many Christmas, or as the Danish call it Juul, markets during winter break. I remember walking down Nyhavn, Lagkagehuset cinnamon roll and tea in hand, looking around at all the colorful houses. I didn’t want to go home!”

Olivia Wolcott, Q30, went on a cruise with her family and friend to Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize City, and Cozumel! “My favorite part was in Belize City where they picked us up from the cruise ship in a small boat and took us out to a tiny island called Rendezvous, which bordered a barrier reef. We went snorkeling off the coast of the island – it looked like a saltwater aquarium! I had never seen such beautiful fish or live coral in the ocean before! It was definitely a winter break to remember!”

Olivia Wolcott (Q30)

Puneeth Bikkumanla, Q29, flew home to Hyderabad, India during break and went on vacation to Bali and Singapore! “My favorite part of the vacation was Bali. What I liked most about Bali was how it was relatively untouched by technology. This allowed for some really amazing experiences such as visiting a temple on the side of a volcano, taking surf lessons, and going white-water rafting for 10kms. Back at home in Hyderabad, I reconnected with my roots by visiting historic landmarks such as the Charminar, meeting family and friends, and of course, eating lots of biryani!”

Puneeth Bikkumanla (Q29)

Garrett Allen, Q27, went to California this winter break! “My three friends and I left the cold Maryland weather for a week and flew to Carlsbad, CA, which is just on the outskirts of San Diego. We went on some beautiful hikes – the scenery was definitely my favorite part. I also had a great time surfing at the beaches.”

Garret Allen (Q27)

Dr. Bailey said, “During winter break, I went up to Massachusetts where my sister lives to spend time with my family. Also, I chaired the search committee to bring on QUEST Program Coordinator Rachel DiDonna.”

Both the faculty and students of QUEST seemed to have an eventful break! While we all enjoyed those five, worry-free weeks, it’s now back to work! Only three more weeks until spring break!

QUEST Student Takes on Technica with Her QUEST 190H Project

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Last semester, QUEST Cohort 31 was challenged with creating innovating and impactful new technologies to tackle an important issue for the bits-based project. One member of Q31, Samantha Pearlstein, decided to take her team’s project, a mobile application called “Neuron,” to the next level by developing it during the University of Maryland’s annual Technica Hackathon.

Technica is the largest all-women Hackathon in the United States and is held every year on UMD’s campus. Over the course of 24 hours, students work on small teams to create and develop an innovative hack or application. At the end, a ceremony is held to celebrate the winners of the Hackathon and the hard work that all the teams put in over the course of the event.

Sam’s team consisted of herself and three other UMD students: Sriv Parameswaran, Angela Pan, and Renee Yang. They used an ionic framework (a development tool that can easily translate between a mobile application and a website) to design and create an interface that focused on user experience, as well as back-end functionalities such as data storage. After a long, sleepless night consisting of coding (and a box of Cheerios), the team ultimately won the award for “Best Hack for Community Building.” Nextdoor, the company that sponsors the prize, plans to feature the project on their blog in the coming months.

The project, first designed in Sam’s 190H class, is named “Neuron,” giving nod to its focus on mental health issues and the importance of personal connections and communication. According to Sam, “Neuron strives to connect neurotypical and atypical people through dialogue and communication in order to end the stigma surrounding mental health.” The app’s interface allows people to contribute stories about their experiences with mental health, either as someone who has been diagnosed with a mental health condition or as a supporter and loved one of someone who has. It aims at building a network community of individuals to help inform and support people both with and without mental health conditions.

Sam, a sophomore Computer Science major from Danville, California, currently has plans to intern as a Security Engineer at Cisco over the summer. After college, she hopes to blend the technical skills she is developing through her CS coursework with the business and management skills she has learned through QUEST. She plans to work at a tech company and keep developing projects that will make a difference in her community. She credits QUEST with helping her learn how to rely on other people and develop interpersonal and professional skills that are important to her future career.

Sam felt very connected to the project after doing research on the topic of mental health in her 190H class and realizing how important and prevalent the issue is in her community. As she puts it, “Creating an app like this could really make a difference in people’s lives so I decided to actually try to make it happen.” With the help of her QUEST team, she was able to find an issue that she was passionate about and come up with an innovative solution. With the help of Technica, she was able to bring it to life.

Her QUEST Since QUEST: Alumna Spotlight on Jenna Beglin

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QUEST has numerous alumni spread across the world, working in extremely interesting fields and industries. One such alum is Jenna Beglin (Cohen), who is the Senior Manager at the Design & Innovation team at Samsung. Jenna was able to provide me with some insight on what she does at Samsung and what has led her there. 

At UMD, Jenna was a member of Cohort 15 of QUEST. Upon graduation from UMD, Jenna started in technology strategy consulting at Accenture, got her MBA from Cornell, worked at a brand and innovation consulting agency called Sterling Brands (an Omnicom agency), and then transitioned to Samsung. 

At Samsung, Jenna’s team has a multitude of responsibilities. Her team develops the pipeline of innovation ideas for Samsung’s services group, usually including software and mobile phone apps. She helps design these concepts, prove the business case, manage the prototype build and test the concepts with consumers. She also conducts other primary consumer research to inform product growth and go-to-market strategy. Currently, Jenna works with Samsung’s software products, like Samsung Health, Samsung Pay, Bixby Voice, and Bixby Vision. She conducts consumer insights for these products to inform product road maps and growth strategies.

When talking about other products she’s worked on, Jenna says, “In my past life at Sterling, I conducted consumer insights work to inform the branding and design of a new “Keurig for Cocktails” called DrinkWorks – a collaboration between Anheuser Busch and Keurig.” She’s also developed a brand architecture to inform innovation and branding for Pepperidge Farm. 

When asked about her time at QUEST, Jenna says it impacted her in many ways. She says, “QUEST taught me how to think in a structured way, how to problem solve, and how to manage clients and stakeholders – important skills in ANY industry.”  Her favorite part of the QUEST experience was how  “QUEST, especially Dr. Suarez’s lectures, made me feel like I could and want to change the world.” Dr. Suarez was the director of QUEST for her first two years in the program. He taught Jenna her capstone class, and she considers him to be one of the most inspirational people she has ever learned from. 

Jenna recently got dual citizenship (US & Spain) and is hoping to move to the EU soon. She also got married three months ago. Congratulations are definitely in order and it’s definitely inspiring to be able to trace a path of a QUEST alum from where many of our students are right now to the juncture of life Jenna’s at currently. Kudos to her for having found her niche in an industry and position that sounds extremely interesting and rewarding. We look forward to staying in touch!

Program Manager Jessica Roffe Receives UMD 30 Under 30 Recognition

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QUEST congratulates our Program Manager Jessica Roffe, who was recently selected as an honoree in the inaugural Terrapin Club 30 Under 30 Program! Established by the University of Maryland Athletics Department and the Terrapin Club, 30 Under 30 recognizes outstanding Maryland young alumni for their professional lives and embodiment of Maryland pride.

Jess was recognized along with the other honorees at the basketball game against Purdue on Tuesday, February 12. The honorees were given tickets to a suite at Xfinity Center where the awards were laid out. Then, they were honored on the court during halftime with their names on the big screen. Jess said, “Being out on the court was really cool. I actually saw QUESTees Michael (Q28) and Akshay (Q27) in the second row of the student section, and I was waving to them.”

Being honored on the basketball court for her commitment to Maryland was full-circle for Jess, who grew up going to Terps basketball games with her family. “I remember they played at Cole Field House when I was little. We would drive into campus, make a right at the M, and then go up the hill behind Stamp. That was the only area of campus I knew, and Maryland’s massive, so it’s funny how that was my vision of Maryland and I still wanted to go here so strongly,” she said. She still frequently goes to games with her dad, who is a season ticket holder.

Jess was nominated for the award by her dad and a few QUEST students. Lindsey Johnson (Q27) heard Jess mention the award in the QUEST Lab and decided to nominate her because of her commitment to the Maryland community. “I think being a UMD alum and working at UMD is a really cool full-circle experience you can have,” Lindsey said. “She’s giving back to the community on a daily basis with the fact that her job is to support students and the community. A lot about QUEST is having our corporate partners and maintaining those relationships and professionalism of the program. For Jess to be the backbone behind that really exemplifies it.”

After graduating from UMD with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Jess got her master’s in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Columbia University. She was inspired to pursue this field by a couple of her Psychology advisors from UMD. “They’re honestly mentors to me, and I wouldn’t have known about higher ed if I hadn’t gotten to know them,” she said. “I feel like I was able to discover my career because I was so involved on campus and so I think that’s why I feel so passionate about helping UMD students find their passions as well.”

Returning to work at UMD in 2014 was exciting for Jess, who had always pictured herself returning to the DC area. “I had this connection to Maryland and the Terps forever so it was always a dream to work back at Maryland,” Jess said. “When I saw the job opening with QUEST, I knew it was such a good fit because it had a little bit of everything within one job.”

Jess considers the highlight of her professional career to be the impact she can have on individual students within QUEST. “A student will come in and ask for interview help. The next week they’ll tell me, ‘Thank you so much! I got the job!’ or ‘I got the internship!’ and it’s really rewarding to see that impact,” Jess said.

The value of Jess’s guidance is greatly appreciated by all QUEST students. “We can go to her and her door is always open, which I think helps promote the community here,” Lindsey said. “She’s always there not just for the specific tasks of her job, but if I need advice on anything. I know a lot of students in the QUEST Program feel this way.”

Helping students throughout their three years in QUEST is the most rewarding aspect of Jess’s job, and her commitment to this is what made her an ideal honoree for 30 Under 30. “In QUEST, I get to see students progress throughout their three years, which is really unique when you think about it as a staff member on this campus. It’s really exciting to see what they achieve after three years and watch them present at the QUEST Conference, get amazing jobs, and be accepted into prestigious graduate schools.”

Congratulations again for being selected for this honor, Jess! Your Maryland pride and enthusiasm to help students is valued by the entire QUEST community!

To learn more about the award and the other nominees, click here.

Israel Discovered, Lots More Uncovered

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Thinking critically, communicating effectively, and developing empathy are important skills to have as students in QUEST. Similarly, Israel Discovered values these abilities as well.

Israel Discovered is a trip that takes 25 community leaders from the University of Maryland to Israel and Palestinian territories to explore and better understand the situation. For twelve days, the students learn about Israel’s diversity, take part in intense conversations, and debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Four student leaders in QUEST, Doron Tadmor, Ankit Sheth, Joyce Zhou, and David Rosenstein from Q29, were part of the group over winter break. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a touchy subject for many, and as a result, the band-aid solution seems to be avoidance. After reflecting on her time, Joyce said that “sometimes it is easier to just put up barriers and stay in your comfort zone than get to know someone with a different perspective than yours.” With that, during the trip, students were definitely pushed beyond their comfort zone and as Doron put it, ultimately realized that “the conflict in the region is way more complex than meets the eye.”

The group of students that were on Israel Discovered.

Everyone has a different walk of life, and in turn, develops different perspectives. It is this that Ankit says “shapes narratives.” He added that “the story is not really the story but one story told by one person’s eyes.” Adding to that, David noted that one person’s truth and facts will be perceived as simply an opinion by someone else. This in and of itself was the value in bringing a diverse group of student leaders from across campus with different ideas and stories to tell.

Q29 is very tightly bound and the opportunity to share such a special place with each other definitely resonated with everyone, especially Doron and David, both of whom had visited Israel in the past. For Doron, Shabbat dinners with Israeli family hosts were a fun and memorable way to share his culture with friends. David appreciated the fact that he got to share parts of Jerusalem that are important to him while getting to see friends of different faiths visit these landmarks for the first time. When the students were not discussing heavy topics, they shared a lot of fun times together: soaking in the Dead Sea, chatting with a tech consultant in Palestine, and eating some of the best food in the world.

With more than 15% of the students coming from QUEST, QUEST themes definitely shined throughout the trip. Doron found himself empathizing and using multiple perspectives to best understand the conflict and to propose solutions that would serve many. In considering these perspectives, Ankit noted, “Beyond the data and the statistics, there are stories that need to be heard.” David made use of the 5-Whys learned in 190H to “get to the deep root of why someone feels the way that they do.”

Time and time again, it is proven that QUEST is full of students that are deep thinkers and leaders. Israel Discovered seeks these kinds of leaders, and more broadly, anyone that loves long discussions and exchanging opinions. Put beautifully by Joyce, “Intertwined with the physical traveling were stories of the people living in the region and while the trip was quick, it was a comprehensive dive into Israel, it’s beauty and its struggles.” Now, these students are back at UMD and are ready to have difficult conversations to bring positive change.

5 Ways to Enjoy the Holiday More

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News stations all over the globe share headlines like “Study Shows That 88% of People Are Stressed During the Holiday Season” or “People Love Holidays, But Spend Them Doing Things They Hate.” And the list goes on.

It’s no secret that this time of year can be overwhelming for many, as juggling decorations, event preparations, and travel arrangements can cloud the true meaning of the season: showing appreciation for the people you love. No matter what you celebrate, the next month or so should be about having the opportunity to share special moments with special people.

With that being said, here are 5 tips I find to be beneficial in really enjoying the holiday season and time off:

#1: Make Time For Yourself

It’s great that we value others’ happiness and never want to disappoint. Sometimes, this can be detrimental to our own happiness. Health.com provides the fact that going “overboard to please others during the holidays: shopping, cooking, sending cards, and attending every event” is a common issue, and Scripps Memorial Hospital psychologist George Pratt, PhD prescribes saying “no” to certain things going on to give yourself some freedom. As someone with extreme FOMO (fear of missing out), choosing to pass on what goes on can be difficult some days, but in the long run, it truly makes a difference.

#2: It’s Okay To Not Be Perfect

Every year, we set unattainable standards and goals to meet during the holiday season. It’s OK if you are a couple minutes late, or don’t find the exact gift you wanted, or if the house is a little bit messier than you had planned. Striving for perfection is what stresses some people out the most. In the grand scheme of things, these changes don’t matter at all. Take the time to enjoy the people around you rather than spending extra time debating where the poinsettias should go.

#3: Phone Off, Smile On

Yes, you knew it was coming – the classic “turn off your phone” spiel. I know it sounds like the least fun thing to do, but when people express nostalgia over the winter seasons, they don’t talk about how many likes their post got. At the end of the day, it’s the banter, the experiences, and the traditions that we value the most. Truthfully, we miss a lot of the holiday season focusing on our gadgets. Banners and buzzes spike adrenaline and leave users less into what goes on and more into their online world. Remember, that this time of year can be the most special out of all 365 days. Soak everything in, and the best way to do that is just keeping your phone in your pocket.

#4: Work To Work A Little Less

As Americans, we are notorious for being work-a-holics. With some extra free time, it’s difficult for some people to separate their normal obligations from quality time at home. According to Health.com, “Taking at least four or five days off work dramatically lowers your stress level.” Keep this in mind when you are choosing between taking that extra shift or having a family movie-marathon. Give yourself the break that you haven’t received in a while, so when you do go back to your normal routine, you are refreshed and better than ever.

#5 Express Appreciation Whenever You Can

Going the extra mile to say thank you or to give a compliment goes a long way. We don’t realize how much the smallest amount of gratitude can have such a positive impact on a person, especially when they have worked so hard for something. Preparing a perfect holiday takes a lot of work. Show your loved ones how much their efforts throughout more than just this time of year really transform your day. Compliment random people when you notice something special. Overall, become more vigilant in how people go about their days – you will notice that often times, credit is not given enough where its due.

Again, these are just some tactics that work for me. No matter how you celebrate your holiday season, I hope you have a great one! And above all, and enjoy the last bit of 2018 with the people that matter the most. See you all in January for Round 2!

 

Two Worlds Colliding: 8 QUESTees Tapped into ODK

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Omicron Delta Kappa, better known as ODK, is the National Leadership Honor Society with a chapter at the University of Maryland. Membership in the organization is a great honor and is bestowed upon students with outstanding leadership. The most recent UMD induction took place on December 2nd, and we are very excited to share that eight of the inductees also belong to the QUEST community. Doron Tadmor, the youngest-ever President of ODK at UMD and a QUEST student in Cohort 29, expressed that ODK has the ability to “bring together a network of leaders across campus into one organization.” Jacob Lapidus (Q27), David Polefrone (Q32), Ari Riske (Q29), Julia Roh (Q27), Barret Rus (Q30), Ankit Sheth (Q29), and Alex Tran (Q27) are the QUEST students who were admitted into ODK this semester. Alongside them, Dr. Joe Bailey was inducted as a faculty member.

ODK, like QUEST, is an amazing community of people who push themselves to be their best. Ari from Cohort 29 said, “I feel like I have always surrounded myself with people who are stronger, smarter, and more insightful than I am which pushes me to consistently grow. It feels incredible to be inducted into such a prestigious organization with so many diversified leaders who can teach me so much.” ODK is an organization that has a great mix of people. Current ODK member Nikhil Modi (Q30) emphasizes the amazing network of peers that exist within the program. Nikhil urges the inductees to “learn as much as they can from the experiences of other talented leaders around them.”

It may seem like a funny coincidence that so many QUEST members were admitted into ODK. However, the inductees attest that there is actually great parallel between both organizations. Julia Roh from Cohort 27 feels that “QUEST students are some of the most passionate and intelligent students [she] has met.” Another inductee, Jacob Lapidus (Q27), told me that “QUEST ranked among the top activities in the ODK application, and the exposure to different types of thinkers, teams, and projects definitely contributed to [Jacob’s] confidence as a leader.” Nikhil feels that at their cores, ODK and QUEST are working towards the same goal. He says, “Members of ODK are leaders on campus who work relentlessly to improve their own organizations, bringing them from a current state to a more ideal state.”

All of the students in the QUEST program recognize Dr. Bailey as a true leader and as someone who has put the QUEST community’s interests first, time and time again. To be inducted, side by side, with such a motivating and inspiring figure in QUEST was very exciting for the new ODK members. Barret from Q30 said, “It was a pretty unique experience considering [Dr. Bailey] is the one who imparts knowledge onto us through 390H… He is a real testament to how well the guild prepares students for success inside and outside of the classroom.” On a similar note, Ari feels like Dr. Bailey “pushes us all to think about what we are capable of. Of course, he has also achieved an incredible amount in his lifetime and serves as a personal role model… He embodies every pillar of ODK, exemplifying what many of us should aim to be more like.”

ODK as an organization has a very positive impact on campus. Ankit from Cohort 29 feels empowered to have another platform for him to use to make a change. Previously, Ankit “looked up to the people who are in ODK as they have served as role models, mentors, and great friends” and now he is happy to be one of them. When I asked Alex Tran for advice to QUEST students regarding a potential future in ODK, he said something that really stuck with me. Alex said, “Getting tapped should never be the goal. College is too short to spend time doing things just to improve your resume. Find things you love and dive in. Become a leader and focus on leaving the community a better place than when you first saw it. If you can do that, you will without a doubt get tapped.”

Doron feels that having so many QUEST students in ODK “shows how QUEST students are going above and beyond to be leaders and change makers across campus.” It is really amazing and inspiring to see that members of the QUEST community are constantly pushing themselves and pursuing remarkable experiences and achievements. David Polefrone of Q32 says that “becoming a part of ODK is a great reward, but the real benefits of leadership are derived from the connections you make along the way.” Like anything else, the joys of a new journey are just coming about for our QUEST students in ODK, and we wish them all the best! Congrats ODK inductees, we look forward to seeing what the future holds! Keep up the good work!  

Cohort 28 Presents at the Biannual QUEST Conference

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On Thursday, December 7th, students in Cohort 28 presented the results of their 490H capstone projects at the QUEST Conference. I enjoyed seeing the concepts and tools learned in 190H and 390H being applied to real-life scenarios and having the opportunity to mingle with a wide range of attendees. Viewing the posters brought back memories of the final 190H process improvement project and watching the presentations reminded me of how QUEST really pushes its students to become innovative and critical thinkers.

During the presentations, each student spoke with confidence and engaged the audience. Noah Vernick, a Clark student in Q28, said, “Presenting at the QUEST conference was really amazing.” He said his team was very confident about their project and that he is confident most of the members in his cohort felt the same way. He added, “[Cohort 28] worked hard all semester and came up with novel solutions to the difficulties presented to us by all of the clients.” He “was very excited to break down [his team’s] approach, methods, and the impact [they] had on [their] client, Miltec UV.” He also mentioned how amazing working with Miltec UV was since “they were always supportive of [his team’s] strides along the way and were very responsive. After several site visits, [he] built a strong bond with their team which gave [his team] more motivation to give Miltec UV a valuable end product.”

Watching the presentations and learning more about Cohort 28’s innovative solutions to tough business problems was the highlight of the night, but it was just one of the many aspects of the QUEST Conference. Many alumni, friends, and family members came to the conference to watch the presentations and ended up also getting the chance to meet many influential people. Zack Khan from Cohort 29 tabled at the QUEST Conference for BMGT/ENES 491, the QUEST scoping elective. He told me that it was “an amazing opportunity to be able to greet important VIPs and guide them to the networking room” and that he was able to speak with several of them, including Alex Triantis, the Dean of the Smith School of Business. David Rosenstein of Cohort 29 also said he “enjoyed reconnecting with several employers” since he saw “a few of the Under Armour team members whom [he] recognized from QUEST networking events.” David said that the environment gave them a lot of topics to speak on, including “the presentations, the quality of projects, and even the tasty food!”  David also told me that “watching Q28 give their final capstone presentations gave [him] a whirlwind of emotions” and that he can’t wait to “share the stage with Cohort 29 next semester and present for professionals, the quality guild, fellow students, and [his] parents!”

I also spoke to several other students from Cohort 29 on what they thought about the conference, mainly because they will be taking 490H next semester. Kellen Liu from Cohort 29 said, “Attending the QUEST Conference was a great experience this semester… I really enjoyed seeing the various projects and companies that 490H teams worked on and listening to project overviews from the students.” She also mentioned, “After seeing the real impacts that these teams were able to make with these companies, I am even more excited for 490H next semester and to work with my fellow Cohort 29-ers.” Zarek Peris, another student from Cohort 29, said that after viewing the presentations, he believes that “490H seems like it’s a lot of work so it’s a bit intimidating,” but that he’s “excited to make a real impact for a real client.”

After talking to several students about their experiences with the QUEST Conference, whether they were presenting, volunteering, or simply appreciating the presentations, I wanted to get some insight on how alumni feel returning to UMD for the QUEST Conference as well. I decided to reach out to Krishang Sharma, Cohort 23, on why he stays involved with QUEST, not just by coming to all of the conferences, but also by attending various QUEST events like the QUEST Corporate Networking Session. He said, “The alumni organization is really strong with QUEST. Every time I come back for a QUEST Conference, I see familiar faces from my cohort and those before.” Krishang works for Leidos, a corporate sponsor for QUEST, which is one of the reasons he goes to QUEST events so frequently. His employer gave him the opportunity to work as a project champion for two 490H capstone projects and the fact that he went through the QUEST curriculum himself and scoped projects in the scoping elective BMGT/ENES 491 before going on to work with a corporate partner allowed him to see “how much value is added to both the students and the company.”

Overall, the QUEST Conference was a success. Attendees had a lot of fun bonding with each other over fantastic hors d’oeuvres and brilliant presentations, and I had a great time learning more about the experiences of alumni and my fellow peers. Years of learning about all of the QUEST concepts and values pay off greatly in the end when students can utilize all that they’ve learned and compile it into one final presentation they can showcase to the QUEST community! Next semester, it will be my turn to work with students from Cohort 29 and come up with innovative solutions for a client, and I am glad I learned firsthand how much of an impact student recommendations can make for companies.

Our Graduating QUEST Students

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As the semester winds down, we would like to congratulate the five QUEST seniors graduating this month, Matthew Ambrogi (Q27), Akshay Guthal (Q27), Yufei Huang (Q28), Meena Sengottuvelu (Q28), and Caitlin Thompson (Q28). I had the opportunity to catch up with a few of them before they walk across the stage, taking a pause to reflect on their time in QUEST.

Akshay Guthal

Although he’s graduating this month, you’ll still be able to see Akshay around campus for a while longer as he pursues his Master’s degree in Computer Science. He plans on staying involved with QUESTDev as he and his co-lead, Dan Selzer (Q27), are organizing a hackathon for next semester.

The best trip Akshay’s ever taken was QUEST to Japan. “Being able to explore a foreign country where the culture is so different is such a cool experience,” he said. His favorite memory from the trip was when “a bunch of other students and I were at a marketplace and we were trying as many foreign foods as we could. The craziest one we ended up finding was duck head, and it honestly didn’t end up tasting that bad!”

Akshay also had the opportunity to go on the Silicon Valley trip. “It was super fun because the company visits were all very different. Tesla’s was the coolest because we got to do a full factory tour and see how the cars were being manufactured.”

“I love hanging out in the QUEST Lab and just talking to people who walk in and out about what is going on in their lives, and it’s amazing to see how driven and passionate everyone is about what they’re doing,” Akshay said while reflecting on what he will miss about QUEST. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever be surrounded by people as talented and humble as the people in QUEST.”

Yufei Huang

After traveling to Boston and China for a few weeks, Yufei will settle in California to be a Software Engineer for the Mac PowerPoint team at Microsoft. Attending the QUEST to Silicon Valley trip during her sophomore year contributed to her decision to work there after graduation. The summer following the trip, she interned for Microsoft as an Explorer Intern. She returned to Microsoft last summer to intern with the Software Engineering team, which she will be working with full time this March.

Yufei enjoyed working with BD in her team’s capstone project for 490H and was excited to share their work to the QUEST community at the end of this semester. “My favorite memories would definitely be presenting our hard work and achievements to our cohort,” she said.

She will miss her cohort and the memories they share, but Yufei will also miss the QUEST community as a whole. “I will probably miss QUEST as an environment that is so open to innovation. I feel like none of the real companies will be able to re-assemble this environment.”  

 

Caitlin Thompson

After spending this past summer as a Risk and Compliance Consulting Intern, Caitlin is excited to be joining Protiviti full time as a Consultant after graduation. An Economics major and Statistics minor, Caitlin was involved with QUESTPress during her junior year.

Caitlin’s favorite experience in QUEST was going on the QUEST to Silicon Valley trip in Spring 2017. “I was able to meet students from other cohorts and see how the tools we learn in QUEST are applied to real-world situations at companies in Silicon Valley,” she said. “While we went on site visits to a variety of companies, were also given time to explore San Francisco and meet QUEST alumni in the area.”

Caitlin will miss seeing the friends she has made in QUEST on a daily basis, particularly within Cohort 28. “Being able to work on teams with students in a variety of majors have made me think of the world in a different way, which I do not think I would have learned without QUEST.”

In the future, Caitlin is looking forward to staying involved with QUEST. “I am excited to become part of the QUEST alumni network and stay involved however I can.”

QUEST Featured at Maryland in Montgomery County

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On the 27th of November, the Maryland is Coming to You event took place at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD. This event was specifically for Montgomery County alumni. The aim of events such as these is to deliver an informative and engaging event for Maryland alumni and donors. This event helps them gain perspective of what the University of Maryland’s projected trajectory is and how they can play a part in it.

President Wallace D. Loh greets alumni and donors at an evening highlighting the Fearless Ideas shaping the future of Maryland.

Approximately 400 alumni and donors attended the event, which included a welcome from Amy Eichhorst, Executive Director of the Alumni Association, remarks from Jacqueline Lewis, Vice President for University Relations, and a introduction from President Loh. The event also featured two speakers from the QUEST community. Dr. Joseph Bailey, Executive Director, and Akshay Guthal from Cohort 27, were both asked to speak about their experiences within QUEST and the fearless ideas that QUEST inspires.

Dr. Bailey gave an overview of QUEST and talked about how it helps to make a big school seem small. He also mentioned that within QUEST, we do 16 capstone projects a year that wouldn’t be possible without the support of alumni and donors.

Joseph P. Bailey, Executive Director of the QUEST Honors Program.

Akshay talked about how QUEST has influenced his time at UMD. He talked a little about his experience growing up in Montgomery County and how that influenced his choice to attend the University of Maryland, which his listeners could relate to. He then focused on his experiences with QUEST, specifically with the capstone project he completed in spring 2018. Akshay reflected on his speech, “I described my project with Northrop Grumman, which was creating a dashboard for managing maintenance requests. I talked about how we went on several site visits and created process flow diagrams before finally coming to a solution.”

Akshay Guthal, QUEST student.

There were other highlights throughout the evening as well. Akshay mentioned, “Besides speakers, they also had cool workshops put on by different groups on campus.” These interactive groups were centered around ideas in Drone Technology and Journalism, Ethical Hacking, Developing Inclusive Youth, Solar Decathlon and Fearless Flu Fighter. Each group had faculty and students speaking about the associated research. One of Akshay’s personal highlights was the campaign on fighting the flu. He mentioned, “One of the workshops was from the School of Public Health, which created a model that aids their research in transmission of viruses on campus.”

Dr. Bailey and Akshay mingling at the event.

All in all, we were honored to be able to highlight QUEST as one of the many examples of programs that enhance the community at the University of Maryland.