Chomps, Convos, and Connections: QUEST’s Summer Happy Hours

This summer, QUEST students kept in touch through the happy hours in New York City, San Francisco, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Seattle, which brought together students, alumni, faculty, and staff for a chance to connect, swap stories, and hang out over some yummy food.

Le in the middle, attending the DC happy hour.

Current student Anh-Mi Le, Cohort 43, attended the D.C. event along with her BMGT/ENES 390H team. “We just wanted to hang out and meet some alumni,” she said. What stood out to her most was how welcoming the alumni were. “I met a Cohort 1 alum who came back because QUEST had such a big impact on their life.”

Yang on the right in Seattle.

Over in Seattle for his summer internship, current student Andrew Yang, Cohort 42, enjoyed the mix of food and conversation. “It was fun catching up with QUESTees in the area,” he said. Talking to alumni in the startup space stuck with him. “They gave me a better idea of what it takes to be a good founder.”

Prof. Bardossy seated in the back left for the Baltimore event.

Professor Bardossy joined the Baltimore happy hour and enjoyed hearing from alumni across different cohorts. “Their stories about successes and failures are always fun,” she said. “There’s a lot to learn from the failures too.” She shared the enthusiasm that faculty and alumni have when hearing about the innovation that each additional cohort brings to the program.

Whether it was swapping advice, hearing about career paths, or just grabbing a bite together, the happy hours showed how much the QUEST community values staying connected.

Thanks to all of the alumni who helped plan these great events!

  • Samantha Taskale, Cohort 38 (NYC)
  • Michele Fried, Cohort 17 (San Francisco)
  • Tiffanie Choi, Cohort 36 (Seattle)
  • Abby Bond, Cohort 37, and Ishaan Kapur, Cohort 36 (DC)
  • Nakisa Rafiee, Cohort 36 (Baltimore)

Connecting the QUEST Community through Alumni-Led Summer Happy Hours

Ever since I officially “graduated” from QUEST after completing my capstone in spring of my junior year at UMD, I had felt a bit disconnected from the program I love so much. Suddenly, I had become an alumni of the program! I had less opportunities to connect with my fellow program members than I had in the past. In fact, it felt like I was closing one of my favorite chapters of my college experience. With these feelings looming over me, I was ecstatic when I found out about the QUEST Summer Happy Hour being hosted in D.C. this past July.

DC Summer Happy Hour Picture

QUEST Community in Washington, D.C.

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QUEST Alumni Host Summer Happy Hours

One of QUEST’s biggest benefits is its robust and involved alumni community. This summer, QUEST alumni hosted happy hour events in cities like Baltimore, Seattle, Boston, Washington D.C., and New York City. These events were great opportunities for students to expand their network and alumni to reconnect with former cohort members. I spoke to two alumnae who planned their local happy hours to hear about their experience. 

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