For Missy Grace, a QUEST alumna and member of Cohort 1, the transition from working in corporate to working in coaching just seemed like the right next step. A cancer survivor herself, she now partners with the company One Village and offers Vigeo Coaching services for cancer survivors.
Alumna Missy Grace
I was lucky enough to speak with QUEST alumna Shirley Qin from Cohort 18, who is now the Founder of 3 different startups: Initial Partners, Think Tools for Children International, and Cydeas. While the pandemic has posed some challenges, she has utilized her entrepreneurial mindset to adapt.
Shirley Qin
One of the best aspects of the QUEST community is the willingness of our 1,400+ alumni to give back and help current students as they explore different career paths. Instead of having students independently search for mentors by combing through the QUEST Directory, QUEST Corporate launched a new mentorship program this semester for students to learn one-on-one from QUEST alumni.
43 current students participated in this amazing new mentorship program. Based on students’ responses to a questionnaire – and with the help of Assistant Director Jess Roffe – relevant alumni mentors were hand-picked for each of the students. The program consisted of three meetings: an informal get-to-know-you, a resume review and mock interview, and a session on exit opportunities and how to move relationships forward. I reached out to a few QUESTees to learn more about how their interactions with their mentors went! Continue reading
When we were introduced to our “new normal” a year ago, Lauren Filocco, Cohort 17 alumna and owner of OpenBarre Studios in College Park, adjusted her business and led her team as all QUESTees are taught to do: by embracing ambiguity.
Before OpenBarre’s last in-person class on March 16, 2020, Lauren and her team realized they needed to prepare for the pandemic. They spent three weeks prior to the national shutdown filming and editing classes, which allowed them to launch their online classes just 36 hours after closing their studio doors. After gauging clients’ interest in online classes, Lauren’s team determined the features and pricing for their online platform. The pandemic was the precipice for the launch of this year-in-the-making project.
It was a typical day in spring lockdown – going on a daily walk and then trying out a banana bread recipe – that would soon change Cohort 26 alumna Chyanne Nader’s year. An environmental engineer by day and bakeshop entrepreneur by night, Chyanne mastered the art of turning a quarantine hobby into a real business. I was fortunate enough to talk to Chyanne about Sweet Like Chy’s origins, her engineering studies, and how QUEST impacted where she is today.
It’s hard to believe that almost a year has passed since our “extended spring break” turned into the beginning of our “new normal.” As a student (hopefully) graduating this semester, I wanted to reach out to the leading experts in leaving college in the midst of a global pandemic: QUESTees who graduated last May. I had the opportunity to catch up with a few of them on how they’ve adapted, and I gained some helpful advice along the way!
Ari (front row, right) and her roommates – many of whom are QUEST alumni – celebrate the holidays.
It is not uncommon for young adults to feel insecure in their abilities or become lost while navigating the professional world. Cohort 12 alumna Amanda Nachman’s new book Qualified aims to help young adults land their dream careers by making connections, building their personal brands, and growing their leadership skills. In my interview with her, she emphasized her passion for empowering people to realize their full potential.
While the global pandemic has forced all of us to adapt in different ways, Andreia (a.k.a. Andie) Rauta of Cohort 14 saw an opportunity to use technology to adapt changing needs and help bring people closer together.
In this day and age, nearly everyone has dreamed of starting their own YouTube channel. QUEST alumna Kelli Webber of Cohort 29 turned this dream into reality with her YouTube channel, “the jelli telly.” Focused on sustainability and thrifting, Kelli’s channel combines her quirky humor, interest in filming, and passion for sustainability. I was fortunate enough to talk to Kelli about the channel’s origins, purpose, and how QUEST impacted it all.
Beyond providing hands-on experience working with real clients, QUEST is a tight-knit community within the University of Maryland. For alumna Kelsey Earle (Cohort 23, Mechanical Engineering ’17), the community was a significant reason why she joined QUEST. To continue this legacy, Kelsey is currently building a community for Black engineering students and alumni at UMD through her latest enterprise, the BTX Foundation.