In the midst of a semester, a good music rotation is key. You need your songs for walking to class, studying, hanging out with friends, or for relaxing after a long day. We polled QUEST students on which songs have been essential this fall and compiled them in a playlist linked HERE for everyone to enjoy! This playlist is collaborative so please add your favorite songs! Read below to hear more about why QUEST students have been enjoying their selected songs.
QUEST Fall Collaborative Playlist
Guest writer Ally Merwitz is a junior in QUEST Cohort 33 studying Operations Management and Business Analytics and Mathematics. She is also the current co-lead of the QUEST Corporate student committee.
Over the course of a mere 1.5 years of QUEST, I cannot count the number of times I have changed my mind about what I plan to do with my life after graduation. I would like to think I am alone in this, but I have talked to enough of my peers to know that so many others have the same indecisive mindset that I do. Through it all, my number one supporters have been the one and only Jess Roffe (QUEST Assistant Director) and the QUEST directory. As much as I could talk to Jess all day, her time is limited. The QUEST directory is a great starting place to find a contact without having to reach out to her or anyone else in the Guild first.
To our dear QUEST community and loyal QUESTPress readers…
We are so grateful that two years ago, Andrew Jones of Cohort 26 entrusted us with the responsibility to lead QUESTPress. We, Kara and Celine, were just laughing about how we never expected that after just one year as QUESTPress journalists, Andrew would decide to promote us to be co-leads. Originally, the responsibility of keeping the QUEST community informed on current events seemed daunting. However, together we tackled a seemingly overwhelming task. Our experience – indescribable, but let’s try.
It was definitely a process settling into our new role. We had a vision, but not necessarily an idea on how to execute it. From our first student organization fair until now, we have worked very hard to grow the size and talent of our team and to modernize QUESTPress. From introducing vlogs and TikToks to building in team bonding events, we have grown very attached to QUESTPress and our amazing organization.
When looking back at our time in QUESTPress, we agree that one of our favorite memories is our first meeting this school year. We decided to create teams within QUESTPress to focus on different aspects of the newsletter. For the first time, we were seeing this QUEST organization really act like it was a part of QUEST! To give an idea, our marketing team was creating countless polls and our vlogging team consumed an entire whiteboard while brainstorming ideas. Looking around the room, we were in awe – overwhelmed in the best way possible.
Unfortunately, our last semester as students at the University of Maryland was cut short. Although this caused a colossal shift for QUEST, going against its DNA that calls for in-person meetings and teams, we felt privileged to have the opportunity to keep doing what we do best: report on the happenings of QUEST through QUESTPress, but with a twist. Rather than cover one last QUEST conference or one last BitCamp, instead, we were writing about how to pass time in quarantine and accept our untraditional graduation.
Although we were the “co-leads” of QUESTPress, like anything, it took a village. We want to give a HUGE thank you to Jacob Wilkowsky of Cohort 19, our alumni advisor, for his guidance and support these past two years. Jacob, QUESTPress would absolutely not be what is today without your passion, energy, and insistence to get to personally know each of us. We also want to thank Jess Roffe, our program’s assistant director, for keeping us on track and maintaining the quality of QUESTPress, even in the craziest of times. Jess, your dedication to our organization and insight into all things QUEST have been the driving forces behind our articles. Rachel, QUEST’s program coordinator, has helped us to better lead and manage QUESTPress. Had it not been for your monthly student leader meetings, our stress levels would have been much higher!
We want to give a big thank you to our QUESTPress team! You have supported us from the beginning and made “leading” easy. Your talent shined through every article and without all of you, QUESTPress would not be the organization that it is! We’d like to give a special shout out to our webmaster, Rohan Mishra from Cohort 32. He has worked behind the scenes to make sure that QUESTPress went live each and every time. Rohan led in an area that we had no insight into, and we could not be more grateful for his expertise.
Finally, we want to give a very sincere thank you to the QUEST community. For being the inspiration for all our articles. For the opportunity to get to know you better with every interview. For the support as you opened up and read our newsletter every month. QUESTPress, you have been our outlet for the last three years. A space to write about almost anything and somewhere to be creative amongst an otherwise rigid course load. Thank you.
We put a lot of effort into transforming QUESTPress, but the greatest changes are yet to come. As QUEST continues to grow and innovate, we expect QUESTPress to do the same. We hope to look back in two, five, and even ten years time and see all the changes that have come to QUEST and QUESTPress. We feel very lucky to have a program that makes saying goodbye so hard, but we have no doubt that Christina Giovanazi from Cohort 31 will make an amazing new QUESTPress lead.
Although we are graduating, we are by no means parting ways from QUEST. “The two hardest things to say in life are hello for the first time and goodbye for the last.” Taking on QUESTPress was a challenging but rewarding experience and we cannot believe, or accept, that it is already over. So we won’t accept it. We are excited to serve as alumni and to support anyone and everyone however we can. Just remember, we are a quick message or email away.
So for one last time as students, thank you QUEST!
Signing off with lots of love,
Kara Eppel and Celine Moarkech (Cohort 29)
Cue Memories by Maroon 5
Imagine this…
You wake up late on Thursday and school is canceled. You get out of bed and it’s chilly, so you grab a blanket and groggily walk down to the living room to sit by the fireplace and join your family already binge watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. From a different room, you faintly hear A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving playing in the background. Your father is busy combing through the ads, looking for the best Black Friday deals. You can smell the garnishes of the turkey and the spices of the stuffing radiating from the kitchen and enveloping the household. You try to sneak a bite of pumpkin pie, but your older cousin catches you and chases you out of the kitchen! You are completely content, and thankful for a holiday that reminds you to appreciate the little things in life. Or at least, this is what Thanksgiving is for me!
For Annabelle Baer of Cohort 32, “Thanksgiving is a time to free myself from work and enjoy just hanging out with family and friends.”
Daniel Ben-Or of Cohort 33 says that Thanksgiving is a “chance for me to stop and say thank you, although I should be doing this every day! It is so nice to take a weekend to just say thanks to the people around me.”
So what are QUEST students thankful for?
Aditi Balachandran of Cohort 31 is thankful for “all of the super amazing faculty and friends I have met through UMD and QUEST. QUEST has been such a warm and welcoming environment for me to learn within and grow.”
Pranav Kuruba of Cohort 32 is thankful he got to establish “so many close friends through QUEST’s 190H course. I am actually doing Friendsgiving with my 190H team as well as a few other QUEST students this year!”
Lastly, Natan Oliff of Cohort 29 is thankful for “QUEST, and my dad’s one hit wonder, Thanksgiving Banana Cream Pie. I wish he would make it every year!”
Wishing everyone in the QUEST community a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are thankful for you.
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!
Yash Mehta (Q22) began his own podcast to commemorate the beginning of 2018. While it’s still at its infancy, Yash has sights on expanding the podcast to feature even more “influencers, as the podcast name, The Great Influencers, suggests. At the current moment, there are two podcasts on the website highlighting Malala Yousafzai and Thurgood Marshall, implying that the diversity in influencers is not limited to prominent historical figures. I recently got to sit down with Yash to get his thoughts on the podcast and his vision moving forward.
I think it was a host of internal and external factors. From the internal perspective, I’ve always really enjoyed creative writing and public speaking so this was a great way to practice those skills. I’ve also become an avid listener of other podcasts over the last year so this was a neat challenge/bucket list item for me to tackle. On the external side, I think we could all use some inspiration from time to time so I wanted to create something that helped busy professionals like those in QUEST to do something fun, learn something, and feel energized to improve their lives all at the same time. I think we’re in a particularly interesting political climate and regardless of your beliefs, I try to shape each episode so that people realize people just like them influenced our world.
The way I choose influencers is relatively unstructured – a lot of it is me coming across stories of people that make me go, “Wow, I want to know more.” I’m trying to make a conscious decision to showcase influencers from a variety of backgrounds (civil activism, science, arts, etc.) so that every person listening can see a bit of themselves in the influencers. My other criteria is choosing great influencers whose stories haven’t been widely told – yes, MLK was absolutely a great influencer, but so was Thurgood Marshall, and I’ve heard Marshall’s story far fewer times so I decided to tell his story instead.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, Yash always loves to get any feedback, so if anyone wants to provide feedback, please share it with him at MehtaJYash@Gmail.com!
By: Caitlin Thompson (Q28)
When asked about the QUEST program, current students are quick to describe the curriculum’s focus on process improvement, systems design, and quality management. While this description matches on paper, some may further describe QUEST as a program where multidisciplinary teams work on projects, while others focus on the application of technical skills.
As a program that provides students with a variety of real world experiences, each student can share personal stories of his/her time in QUEST. These unique aspects can be reflected on students’ resumes and used to differentiate themselves during job interviews.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with three current QUEST students at different points in the program about their own QUEST experiences. They discussed how they have benefitted from the QUEST program and shared how they branded themselves at each step of the three-course sequence.
First, I discussed the 190H experience with Adam Sarsony (Finance, Q29). Adam recently completed 190H, the first course in the QUEST sequence. He discussed his experience analyzing problems, working on multidisciplinary teams, and using new skills including fishbone and process flow diagrams.
“In 190H, I learned how to work on a high-performing team using agile development or scrum, and we practiced using Gantt charts and other project management tools common to teams using agile or scrum. Having an experience with these processes as a sophomore is something that I can speak to that helps me stand out from other students my age.”
Furthermore, Adam’s biggest lesson learned in 190H was “how to manage a professional relationship with a client. It isn’t something that you can put on a resume, but it is something that you can speak about in an interview and something that comes through in the way that QUEST students talk with employers and other professionals. It’s a soft skill that you can’t build without these professional experiences.”
Savannah Shaul (Chemical Engineering and Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, Q28) also shared some insight about her QUEST experience moving from 190H through 390H. She mentioned how QUEST has given her the confidence to take risks and question the way systems work.
In regards to how she brands herself with QUEST, she first discussed the professionalism skills she learned during 190H including “PowerPoint design, technical design, and presentation and time management skills. I found that all of these skills have helped me excel in various aspects of my life, even outside of school and my career.”
While these skills continue to be useful today, she expanded her knowledge of systems design in 390H, the second course in the QUEST sequence, and learned to think outside of the box.
“390H was definitely the class where I was challenged to think in new ways and to ‘break the system.’ As a student, we are constantly being told what to do and how to do it, but with this class, we basically were able to define ourselves and question everything around us. As young professionals who will emerge into the work force within the next few years, this is such an amazing skill to have because it will allow us to make drastic, but efficient and important, changes to whatever we end up working on. This is such an incredible skill that I definitely try to brand myself, and QUEST, with and hope to utilize in 490H.”
Kevin Dragonette (Chemical Engineering, Q26) added to this conversation by reflecting on what he has learned throughout 490H, the QUEST capstone course. By working with an outside client, he learned about the importance of the voice of the customer when designing a solution.
Kevin Dragonette with his fellow 490 teammates and client
“In QUEST, and in particular 490H, I learned how to develop a solution to a problem that addresses the perspective of all stakeholders involved. Solutions that are well-designed to address a specific problem often do not consider obstacles of implementation such as resistance from stakeholders who the solution does not directly benefit, but requires for successful implementation. I brand myself with the ability to design a practical, adaptable solution with a high chance of implementation rather than the ability to design a solution that is only successful on paper.”
Overall, QUEST provides each of us with a variety of useful skills that are applicable to numerous career fields. As our skills evolve throughout the program, we can reflect on our own experiences to continue to grow personally and professionally. Although these may differ, we all benefit from being members of the QUEST community and will apply lessons from our experiences throughout our careers.
When I pitched the idea for this story, I really had no idea what it was going to turn into. The QUESTPress team had been toying with the idea of expanding our coverage to things outside of QUEST for a while, but we still hadn’t worked out the details. So when Andrew tried to give me February off I figured why not and jumped into something I care a lot about: science and scientific advancement.
Now obviously there’re a lot of fields that fall under the label “science,” but I decided to focus on one of the weirdest: medical science. Human bodies are incredibly complex, which is what makes modern medicine so amazing, but they’re also, in my opinion, pretty strange. This makes reading articles about medical advancements a fun combo of “that’s so cool” and “they did what now?!” So without further ado, here are some of my recent favorites:
Concussions have come under the spotlight in recent years – becoming an increasing concern in sports and the military as we learn more about the lasting impacts of traumatic brain injuries. Despite this, diagnosing concussions remains difficult, with computerized tomography scans, or CT scans, being one of the most common ways to check for brain anomalies. CT scans are expensive, and many patients suspected of having concussions do not exhibit signs of it when scanned. This is what makes the new blood test from Banyan Biomarkers, just approved by the FDA, so exciting. The test measures the levels of various proteins that are linked to brain injury in the patient’s blood and can predict which patients are likely to show damage on a CT scan, enabling doctors better prescribe the expensive procedure.
More information can be found here:
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6378/848.full
I caught this story back in October, browsing through the New York Times between classes. It’s engrossing, and I remember turning to one of my good friends – actually working on her homework like a responsible student – and going, “I’m so grateful, but also weirded out, by medicine.” Spinal bifida is a birth defect where the tissue surrounding the spinal column does not close properly during fetal development – leading to a host of further health problems. Doctors found that operating prenatally to close the gap in the spinal tissue decreased these effects, but the standard surgery involves cutting open the mother’s abdomen and uterus which can lead to other complications. However, the new surgery eliminates some of these side effects by operating through small slits in the uterus guided by a fetoscope. If you’re squeamish this might not be the story for you, but otherwise I encourage you to check it out here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/health/fetal-surgery-spina-bifida.html
Follow up story: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/health/baby-spina-bifida-surgery.html
One of my roommates is a biology major, so CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing has come up a time or two in conversation. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or CRISPR, is the basis for CRISPR-Cas9, which allows researchers to make specific modifications to DNA. But what does that even mean? In essence, DNA is like your body’s instruction manual – telling cells what they should be doing – and is made up of genes (ie: instructions on what proteins to make). By modifying DNA, scientists can turn on and off certain genes, changing how cells behave. However, CRISPR-Cas9 does have limitations and is only useful in some parts of the genome; new advances could change that fact. David Liu and his colleagues have altered the Cas9 enzyme to work at a wider range of sites – potentially opening the door for more precise gene editing and further applications.
More info here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02540-x
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/02/upgrade-makes-genome-editor-crispr-more-muscular-precise
For anyone who loves cinema, now is the best time to take a trip to the movie theater. From November through the end of the year, studios release their best films of the year in anticipation of cold weather, the holiday season, and The Oscars. This year, some of my favorite films were Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Call Me By Your Name, and The Post. However, I wanted to hear what QUEST alumni and staff thought were the best films they saw this year. Additionally, I offer a few challenges this year for the ultimate movie buffs.
Frances McDormand blew me away in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Her character is at the same time one of the harshest and fiercely caring people I’ve seen with a strong internal compass that she trusts to guide her decisions (even if we don’t always trust it). Over the course of the movie, she shows that you can care for a town and the people in it, even while you hold them accountable to justice.
Because of my recent investment in Movie Pass, a subscription based theater service, I decided to go see The Shape of Water, a film I might not have otherwise seen. The film, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, managed to simultaneously feel familiar and new by placing a unique spin on a whimsical fairy-tale. I highly recommend seeing the movie even if you might not be initially interested in seeing a love story between a woman and a sea monster.
The cinematography of I, Tonya was super impressive, and Allison Janney is an incredible actress (as always). It was also interesting to learn about such a crazy scandal that actually took place when I was very young, but I knew nothing about.
Darkest Hour was one of my top films from 2017. I really enjoyed Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Churchill and the film’s excellent artistic direction. The atmosphere of suspense was also expertly crafted, especially since its audience presumably knows the conclusion to the story.
Get out is an entrancing, complex film that defies so many of the tired tropes in the horror genre. My friends and I stayed up into the wee hours of the night discussing the movie after watching. I also love how many “Easter eggs” Jordan Peele wove in!
The original trilogy of Star Wars was just about my favorite series of movies growing up. The universe has this high fantasy vibe shrouded in sci-fi, and I think the latest entry brought out a side of the universe that hasn’t been explored on screen – the idea that good and bad aren’t black and white, that power is power, and how we choose to use it defines us. It’s definitely a departure from previous movies, and while some of the criticisms are valid, it was definitely one of my favorites from the year.
I watched the movie Arrival and must say it was not what I expected. Having watched the trailer beforehand, I thought it was going to be a movie that led to some epic showdown between aliens and humans. Not saying that it doesn’t happen (no spoilers here) but the movie artfully combined an underlying commentary with awesome scenery and a very fitting ominous soundtrack. It’s worth a watch if you appreciate deep analytical movies.
I was a fan of all the movies listed above and want to offer a few challenges for those really trying to embrace the cinema of 2017.
Michael Stewart Stuhlbarg is a tour de force in 2017 with major roles in The Post (Abe Rosenthal), The Shape of Water (Dr. Robert Hoffstetler), and Call Me by Your Name (Mr. Perlman). He is the sixth actor to appear in three Best Picture nominees in the same year! See if you can watch all three films and join the Stulbandwagon™.
The Battle of Dunkirk was a pivotal moment in World War II. This year, two Best Picture nominees cover the film from the sea, sky, and bunker— Darkest Hour and Dunkirk. Watch both films in an evening and take a deep dive into the history books.
Women account for 13% of directors in Hollywood, which is why when any female director is nominated for an Oscar it requires particular note (5 nominated in 90 years). Greta Gerwig was nominated this year for Ladybird. Additionally, watch one of these other three films with powerful female leads—Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Post, Wonder Woman.
Special thanks to all the QUEST alumni and faculty who participated in this article. I hope this piece was helpful when deciding which films to see this weekend. Enjoy the movie magic!
Many students look forward to winter break to be done with final exams and back at home catching up on TV shows and drinking hot chocolate by the fireplace. The much needed rest that has seemed an eternity away for the last month is finally in reach. With this said, many others get excited for the opportunity of no school to be busy in a different way. Whether that was being in Iceland spotting icy mountains or hanging out in the desert with camels, you know that QUEST students couldn’t sit still. Here are some of QUEST’s students’ highlights from their adventures over break:
Some of our QUEST students got to spend even more time together embracing QUEST ideals on the QUEST to Spain trip. They got to check out design thinking and the process behind it all over Barcelona and Madrid. Ari Riske from Cohort 29 loved getting to know more people in the QUEST program as well as all about Spain’s culture. Ari said, “Design was everywhere. We explored it in the architecture of hospitals and the Sagrada Familia as well as in wineries.”
Doron Tadmor Taking in the Views
Q29’s Doron Tadmor spent about half of his break backpacking through Chile. He said that discovering the affordable flight tickets opened the door to practicing his Spanish (being that he is a Spanish minor) as well as visiting a startup incubator in Santiago. Doron recounted that in the Patagonia region in Torres del Paine, “The views were by far the most amazing [I’d] seen. Mountains and the bluest glaciers surrounded [me] and the weather changed every five seconds from rain to sun to snow to hail.”
QUEST Students Together in Israel
Birthright also led some of our QUEST students on a memory-filled adventure through Israel. Melissa Maurer (Q29) said, “My favorite part was Tel Aviv because it was fascinating to see such a modern city unlike any of the other places we went in Israel. It has a lot of fun things to do. The Dead Sea was so cool because you were always floating and had to make a conscious effort to stay vertical.”
Chineme Obiefune (Q25) and a few other QUEST students found themselves in Iceland. Calling it their own QUEST adventure, Chineme described his trip to Iceland as “an experience that took [me] out of [my] comfort zone in many different ways. The temperature felt like it was below freezing and the roads basically had no speed limit, but the biggest thing was the environment. Everywhere you looked it was clear that the structure of all the buildings and the products that were being produced were influenced by the environment and the culture of Iceland.” He advises any future visitors to Iceland to “bundle up and make sure that you go with friends because there will be a lot of long car rides during your stay.”
There you have it. Some of the wildest adventures our students embarked on this past winter break. Get inspired and go on your own trip soon! I’m sure any of these people would argue that it’s worth the long plane rides any day!