Category Archives: Inside the Guild

Interview with Kevin Schoonover

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Interview Conducted by Tracey Epstein (Q14)

Kevin Schoonover (Q11)

QUESTPress: How do you think the QUEST program as a whole has done in achieving the goals laid out in the June 2009 issue of the QUEST press?

Kevin Schoonover: In 2009, the QUEST program and a few energetic alumni created goals for the future relationship the QUEST alumni and the rest of the QUEST program/community.  These goals included: strengthening the alumni database, creating an alumni/student mentorship program, developing social events in key alumni cities, and increasing overall program awareness and pride.  In order to accomplish these goals, the QUEST Alumni Board was created.

One of the first tasks the QAB began working on was improving the database of alumni information with a major goal of getting in touch with as many alumni as possible prior to the QUEST 20th anniversary event.  To accomplish this, the program identified members from each of the 20 cohorts to market the event.  After a successful event where we had representation from Cohort 1 to 20 present at the anniversary, the Alumni database was significantly more up-to-date.  Currently, the QAB is working to organize and keep current this information for all current and future QUEST alumni.  One goal is for the updated alumni database to be used to provide a service to the QUEST alumni network.  I travel a great deal for my job, and it would be great to meet up with QUEST alumni for a lunch or dinner when I am in a new city just to catch up.

In addition to building the alumni network the QAB has kicked off the alumni mentor program and received an impressive response from alumni to support this budding program.  In the past two years, the QAB has been able to increase the QUEST network and raise awareness with happy hours in Washington DC, Baltimore, Arlington, and New York City.  We hope to hold more events and with more frequency in these cities so that the QUEST communities in these cities can continue to grow in strength.

QP: What initiative(s) do you think has the biggest impact in expanding and strengthening the alumni network?

KS: The key initiatives to grow the alumni network are the efforts that give back to the alumni.  Each alumni member has different memories and desires for their experience with the QAB.  Some alumni want to give back to the quest program with their time by volunteering to come back to UMD to support QUEST events.  Others want to expand their personal networks to help them move forward within their career goals.  There are also those who are just interested in catching up with old friends that they may have lost touch with because of their changes in locations or careers.  QAB is working to develop initiatives that touch on all the key components of what QUEST alumni value.  Examples of these initiatives are: the development of educational and fun activities for alumni, an organized alumni communication system so as to manage the communication with our community, collaboration with the QUEST program to increase opportunities for alumni to give back to the current students, and release a QUEST database for which alumni can search for their friends and other nearby “QUEST’ies”.

QP: What do we still need to focus on in order to get alumni more involved in QUEST, especially in terms of attending alumni events, getting in touch with the current students, and donating to the program?

KS: I believe to get more alumni involved in QUEST, QAB needs to consistently push to increase the value proposition it offers to the alumni.  QAB must make sure the alumni who have interests in giving back or being involved get these opportunities in a timely fashion.  In addition, QAB must ensure that our alumni feel valued when the do give their time or donations.  Most importantly, QAB must ensure that when alumni come back, they have fun!

QP: What are the plans for further improving the alumni network?  When can we expect to see those plans go into place?

KS: The QAB has established a sub-committee whose main goal is to organize the alumni network through the development of an alumni management system.  This system will ensure communication with the alumni network is timely, valuable, and meets the alumni needs.  We expect this system to initially go live by Fall 2013, which will allow for a QUEST alumni database to be potentially released to the network by next year.

QP: Any other comments about the QAB, the alumni network, or how the QUEST program overall has changed since June 2009?

KS: When I was a student in the QUEST program, I learned that the more you put into something, the more you will get out of the experience.  I have embraced this theory and I am constantly reminded of its truth through my interactions with the QUEST community. As an alumnus, I have seen the alumni interaction with the QUEST community consistently increase.  In addition, the energy and determination exhibited by the QAB members and volunteers from the QUEST alumni community blows me away.  We, as the QAB, have a passion to make QUEST the best program both for current students but for our alumni.

Congratulations, Seniors!

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Article by The Quality Guild

With the graduation season upon us, the members of The Quality Guild would like to extend their thoughts and congratulations to the seniors of QUEST who will be graduating this May.

Members of Cohort 17

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To the QUEST graduating seniors,

Congratulations on your graduation! You are all such talented individuals and I am confident that we will see great things from you in the future. As you prepare to move on to the next chapter in your lives, be sure to remember the lessons, skills, and most importantly, the relationships that you gained while in QUEST and at the University of Maryland. We are so proud of your accomplishments and are looking forward to hearing about the exciting adventures that lie ahead!

~Kathryn Weiland

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Dear graduating seniors,

Congratulations! You’ve completed your QUEST student experience, you’ve earned your diplomas, and you’ve done so much to benefit the QUEST program and the University of Maryland, as a whole. While I’m sad that we won’t get to see each other in Van Munching Hall as often, I am so excited to welcome you to our alumni community! Be sure to keep us updated as your amazing futures unfold!

~Kylie Goodell

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Dear Cohort 17:

Congratulations on your tremendous accomplishments over the last three years!  We appreciate your energy, your ideas, and the many other contributions you have made to the QUEST program.  Your hard work not only helped you learn but also helped many others.  The road bends, and we cannot see too far ahead, but I hope that you will continue to learn from, serve, and love those with whom you travel.

~Dr. Jeffrey W. Herrmann

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Congratulations Cohort 17! You are the first cohort I have had the pleasure of seeing through the entire QUEST experience, so your graduation is definitely bittersweet!

I wish you great success and encourage each of you to follow your heart even when it leads to the road less traveled.

~ Melanie Ashton

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Dear Cohort 17,

Now the fun really begins! Remember when we surprised you by making you present to KPMG on your first day of 490? We hope that these experiences helped prepare you for all the challenges you’ll face in the “real world.” Some students find they have a bit of a bumpy landing when they graduate – you’re on your own, and your friends aren’t surrounding you the way they did in college. Don’t worry! It’s important for you to move on to new things so you can grow and adapt. And in a few years time, you’ll love the new path you’re traveling. We’re always here for you at QUEST to grab a coffee, have lunch, and chat when you need us. Best wishes – we’re so proud of what you’ve done as Terps, and we can’t wait to see what new trails you blaze. I’m proud, too, to be part of the class of 2012 with you!

Love, Nicole

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Congratulations on your graduation from QUEST!  You have accomplished great things while you have been students in our program and you are leaving a lasting legacy for all the cohorts that follow in your footsteps.  Thank you.

I hope that your accomplishments within QUEST will always propel your professional careers and personal lives to new heights!

We are proud of you.  We will miss you.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bailey

Congratulations QUEST Seniors

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A Letter to Cohort 16 from Dr. Bailey, QUEST Executive Director


Congratulations QUEST Seniors!

Spring is a bittersweet time of year for our QUEST community.  We say goodbye to our QUEST seniors while we say welcome to our incoming cohort of students.  The juxtaposition of our feelings of sadness and excitement were very apparent at the QUEST Student Organization (QSO) barbeque on May 7th when our outgoing seniors (cohort 16) and our rising sophomores (cohort 19) were in attendance.  Fortunately good weather, good food, and lots of fun helped us forget any feelings of sadness and enjoy a few more moments of celebration before we say goodbye to our QUEST seniors.

I’m so pleased at how well our QUEST seniors have done in the job market this year.  Many of our students will be working for companies that already have a strong relationship with QUEST including Accenture, Booz Allen, Cognizant, Deloitte, PwC, and Lockheed Martin.  Many other students will be working for outstanding companies that will help launch their careers and give them opportunities for continued learning including Cisco, ExxonMobile, Google, Microsoft, and Morgan Stanley.  Still others have decided to pursue graduate school (including Maryland, MIT, and Virginia), become a Fulbright Scholar, or Teach for America.  A more complete list of opportunities our seniors will pursue can be found here.  Whatever the opportunity, I’m so pleased that our seniors have decided to follow their passions and define their own career paths.

The significance of our QUEST seniors is a reflection on the success of our community and also a high standard for our returning QUEST students.  Since our community emphasizes action learning and engages our alumni, faculty, staff, and corporate partners, many people and organizations can delight in the trajectory of our seniors after graduation.  Many seniors told me that they were able to draw upon their QUEST experiences in job interviews to help find an opportunity that best fits their passion.  Fortunately, many of their companies saw the value of learning in multidisciplinary, team-based, action-learning settings since it reflected their work environments.  Furthermore, our seniors could draw upon their accomplishments and missteps in the QUEST program to approach the challenges of their new opportunities with confidence, flexibility, and humility.  Thank you to all of you who have helped our seniors reach this milestone.

To our QUEST seniors, please accept my congratulations on behalf of our community.  You make us proud!

Dr. Bailey

QUEST Seniors celebrate after receiving their medallions at QUESTpedition

QUEST Seniors celebrate after receiving their medallions at QUESTpedition