Category Archives: Interviews

QUEST Entrepreneurs Take Silicon Valley

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QUEST’s second annual Silicon Valley trip over spring break provided students with the opportunity to learn about design, innovation, and product and software development processes from firms in the region. This trip offered students a chance to visit various firms: from Fortune 500 companies, like Google, to tech startup companies, like Q16 Jason Gates’ very own Compology. Additionally, students networked with QUEST alumni working in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, developing relationships with firm employees and returning to campus ready to share their stories with members of the QUEST community.

QUEST students frequently learn about these principles in the classroom, but the trip allowed students to apply these principles in a real world setting and use tools such as utilizing the voice of the customer and designing strategies to improve design quality.

This trip was especially enriching for two budding entrepreneurs in the QUEST program: Teddy Li, a junior finance major in Cohort 25, and Derien Scott, a junior computer engineering major in Cohort 24. Teddy and Derien sat down with QUESTPress to discuss what they learned from the trip and how QUEST skills can be useful in developing startups like their own.

What venture are you currently working on? 

Teddy: Reducing restaurant labor costs using data analytics and hardware.

Derien: Kanvasroom LLC, we are building a market network for the creative service industry. We provide a marketplace where people or organizations can subcontract creative services. These teams can then use our real-time collaboration tools to work on and complete their projects. These tools include video conferencing, whiteboarding, file transferring, video editing and many more specifically tailored to the creative service industry. We plan to finish user testing in May and launch our beta version in the summer.

What part of the Silicon Valley trip was the most beneficial to your startup or entrepreneurial goals? 

Teddy: The Silicon Valley trip was interesting because it gave me a glimpse of what career entrepreneurs had to do when they started their companies (very QUEST-like method of thinking). I really enjoyed the Compology visit because we were able to see the different iterations of the product as it progressed into what it is today. I’m gracious for the advice Jason (the founder) gave me. The alumni event in Mountain View on Thursday was also an interesting experience because it reminded me that no matter where I go, there are alumni around who are more than willing to help out.

Derien: The most beneficial part of the trip was being able to network with and learn from so many people that have been in the same shoes that I am currently in. Similarly, it was very beneficial to visually see where I want my company to be in the long term and learn how I can get there.

What was your favorite part of the trip? 

Teddy: Alcatraz [our first morning of the trip], because that was the first time we bonded as a class and even though it was raining, I had a great time getting to know people outside of my cohort that I would only normally pass by or see in the QUEST Lab.

Derien:  My favorite part of the trip was going on random excursions throughout the city. The first day alone, we walked 15 miles and the equivalent of about 150 flights of stairs after our Alcatraz tour. And even after all of that exploration, we still only scratched the surface of the culture in “Frisco”. The eye-opening company visits and the free swag, food, and Palantir Ray Bans were also really nice.

How are QUEST skills helpful in running or developing your startup? 

Teddy:  [QUEST] pushes you to seek out customer input because you won’t have a business if nobody will buy your product. You have a business when you have customers, but the only way to be successful is when you have customers who love your product. Essentially, you want to provide a 100% solution rather than a less than complete solution to their problem.

Derien: I utilize the tools and concepts I’ve learned in QUEST constantly within my startup. Learning how to take a perspective and turn it into an viable solution has been incredibly valuable in our early stages. The skills I’ve learned put me at an advantage in entrepreneurship especially because they are necessary skills that everyone from the CEO’s of a startup to the sales teams have to use on a daily basis and often, people new to the startup world have to learn these lessons the hard way. Even during our trip, many of the speakers would use the usual QUEST jargon like “agile”, “lean” and “user-centered design” to describe their design processes. Learning how to communicate and cooperate with a team is also extremely valuable. Balancing the perspectives of my team members and keeping everyone engaged, organized and open-minded can prove to be difficult at times, but being able to apply previous experiences with working in teams has helped me work through many of those challenges.

What is the biggest take away or lesson you learned on the trip? 

Teddy: Someone once told [me] that “everything you see in the world today is built by people no smarter than you and me” and I think Silicon Valley exemplifies that perfectly. [It helped me confirm] what that person said to me, and I cherish the opportunity I had to go there.

Derien: The biggest takeaway from this trip was that there is no such thing as failing if you can learn from your mistakes and keep yourself from being stubborn about your ideas. As my friend Terrell would put it, ‘Losing doesn’t exist, the only L’s we ever take are learning opportunities.’ Many of the companies we visited had to fail, dissolve problems and reiterate a ton before their ideas came to fruition and while we learn these iterative processes in class, it was really helpful to see them in practice at almost every company we visited from small early-stage startups like Compology to tech giants like Google.

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.

Alumni Spotlight: Aditya Yerramilli

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Alumni Spotlight: Aditya Yerramilli

Introduction

For this edition of Alumni Spotlight we cover Aditya Yerramilli, my QUEST Alumni Mentor. A member of Cohort 14, Aditya graduated from the University of Maryland in 2009 with a Dual Degree in Accounting & Finance. It has been awesome having Aditya as a mentor, I’ve learned so much and had a lot of good laughs. So with no further adieu I give you Aditya Yerramilli.

 

Can you tell us a little bit about your current position?

I am currently a Senior Associate in Forensic Services at PwC LLP, in Tyson’s Corner. I assist clients with issues ranging from fraud risk management, crisis management, and fraud investigation to anti-corruption, anti-bribery, international arms trade, regulatory compliance, and disputes/arbitration.

 

Why did you choose to major in accounting?

I have enjoyed accounting ever since high school. I was part of a pre-collegiate program focused on preparing student for careers in accounting/finance. I chose accounting, because no matter what the industry, size, or composition of a business, it must communicate its performance internally and externally through the language of accounting. Being able to understand accounting provides the ability to understand any business, and makes me flexible and versatile when it comes to solving various problems.

 

How did you discover forensic accounting was for you?

I kind of stumbled into my role as a forensic accountant. I took a forensic accounting class at UMD in my senior year. Although I was familiar with forensic accounting prior to, I never thought about it as a career path until I took this course. One class session, two forensic accountants, a partner & manager, from PwC came in to speak about their forensic services team. After hearing their stories, I was instantly sold, and knew what I wanted to do. I realized, after interning in audit, that I was not cut out to be an auditor. However, the ability to use my accounting background for the greater good of assisting companies and organizations mitigate fraud risk and minimize their exposure to corruption internationally, was a worthwhile and noble cause to pursue.

 

How would you describe your job as a Forensic Accountant?

I would say that there are many different attributes to my job. A typical day involves working on a few different projects throughout the day, and coordinating/managing a few teams to accomplish various analyses and tasks. My role with PwC allows me the opportunity to interact with C-Suite personnel from fortune 500 companies, in order to understand their company’s situation, needs, and what they are looking to accomplish while working with PwC. Additionally, my role involves a decent amount of travel, both domestic and international, in order to visit key client sites of operation. My job also involves a lot of excel, analyzing accounting/financial information at the transactional level to identify how fraud was committed, or what level of fraud risk a company has.  In addition to this, my job also exposes me to clients that require assistance as they sell and export government controlled technology for foreign civilian and military use. All in all, I am exposed to a wide range of issues/areas, across many industries, to help our clients operate successfully in the global economy. A few of my memorable projects have taken me to Africa, South Asia, and Europe.

 

For those of us looking to pursue a career in accounting, what are some key lessons you’ve learned about the accounting industry that you wish you knew as an undergraduate?

A few tips I would share for aspiring accountants:

  1. Plan to get your CPA, no matter what you do with accounting. Whether you go into audit, tax, or consulting, or a completely different career path, the only way to be considered a credible accounting professional is to be a CPA. I would encourage accounting majors to plan to be CPA eligible as they move towards graduation.
  2. More importantly than accounting knowledge, is having a familiarity and understanding of how accounting relates to other areas of business (i.e. finance, marketing, sales, manufacturing, R&D, etc…); it is in understanding these relationships that the true value of accounting is shown.
  3. Never forget the importance of soft skills. More often than not, having strong soft skills will put opportunities in front of you, which you would otherwise not have.
  4. Lastly, don’t lose the innovative/out of box mentality that you learn in QUEST. It is perhaps one of the aspects of QUESTees that makes us stand apart amongst others in the industry.

 

What value do you see forensic accounting skills bringing to the table, and accounting skills in general?

Forensic accountants are very analytical, and have to often break bigger problems down into smaller areas of focus. Additionally, a forensic accountant’s knowledge of accounting and transactional level information is of great value to companies who are exposed to corruption and fraud, because understanding this granular level of detail allows us to identify weak points within a client’s system such that they can plug up the holes to tighten up their anti-fraud controls. Forensic accountants are also quick on their feet, and very flexible, as a lot of times we come into the situation after the fact, and have to figure out what happened in a very short time. As for general accounting skills, understanding accounting always allows a person to better understand a company, since every company communicates through the language of accounting.

 

What are some of your best memories of QUEST?

My best memories from QUEST really stem from the insightful and extremely valuable information provided during Dr. Suarez’s courses. The tips, skills, and thought process I learned during these courses (such as 190 and systems thinking) were invaluable, and provided for a very fun and enjoyable experience.

 

How have you enjoyed the QUEST Mentor Program? Have I annoyed you enough?

I think that the QUEST Mentor Program is a great initiative! I strongly believe that one of the best ways to learn and grow is to interact with people who have graduated from QUEST and gone on to use the knowledge and skills from the program in the real word. I have thoroughly enjoyed the mentor program, because it provides me a window into the how QUEST is changing and continuously improving…for lack of a better phraseJ. I also think that my QUEST mentee is awesome!!

 

What is one piece of advice you’d give to QUEST students today?

I would tell QUEST students to truly cherish the program and community they are a part of, regardless of their level of involvement in the program. I would also confirm with them that the skills and abilities I learned through QUEST truly have been valuable in the real world. Additionally, I would encourage QUEST students to continue to reach out to Alumni, as the relationship between current and former QUESTees is a big part of what will keep the program going strong!

 

QUEST Friends

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QUEST FRIENDS

The friendship shared between QUEST students is like no other as many of you have come to learn. This article will explore 4 different unique friendships that begin with QUEST.

Mark and Meenu

How did you become friends?

We were on the same 190 team, Team S.W.A.G. Vision (Students With A Greater Vision). So we met at quest camp. Due to the fact that she lived in Oakland and I lived in Denton, we practiced presenting and acted silly together. We also both took DVQ and suffered through it together.

What do you have in common?

We both obviously love QUEST. We are both engineers. And we have the same taste in music. I think we are both very driven individuals and highly motivated. We share very similar values, we care about our friends and family a lot. And we both LOVE Thai food.

How well do you know each other?

We tell each other all our secrets. We really know each other’s entire life story.

How do you support each other in quest/classes?

For quest, we bounce ideas off of each other. We really benefit with collaborating. We help each other practice our presentations as well.
Outside of QUEST, we will help each other with homework and share old notes.

Danny and Josh

What has been your favorite QUEST memory together?

 

It’s hard to pick – we do a lot together in QUEST. A favorite QUEST memory has been teaching the BMGT408C class – specifically some of the first meetings about it. We got to sit down and plan out the course together. (Which, as a side note, is very hard!)

Another good memory in QUEST was the “QUEST Recruiting Oscars” event that we did last spring. We shot a video as a board, and showed it to the QUEST community.

What do you have in common?

 

A lot – we are both CS majors, with similar political interests and similar tastes in humor and movies. We spend a lot of our time enriching the QUEST community with our breadth of knowledge (or lack-there-of).

Fun fact- we both have a friend from high school in QUEST (Danny’s is Aditiya Shridar, and Josh’s is Manas Kulkarni)

 

What has been your best memory outside of QUEST?

 

We LOVE LOVE LOVE Krazy Kabob, and often we will have dinner together there.

 

Do you expect to stay close friends after you graduate?

Considering Josh will be working near Danny’s home after graduation, and since both are going into similar lines of work, we are sure we will continue to hang out. I don’t think we need to have a “friendship plan.” But now that you mention it…..

Savannah and Emily

How did you become friends?

We originally met at relay for life our freshman year and talked about how we had both just applied for QUEST! We really bonded at orientation over our mutual fear of the dark and nature, and spent the entire trip joined at the hip.

What has been your favorite QUEST memory?

Our absolute favorite QUEST memory together was when we went to a cooking school in DC with Dr. Ashley’s ARHU 390 class. We got to spend the evening cooking and bonding with Dr. Ashley and the food was fantastic!

What do you have in Common?

We both dropped College Park Scholars GPH to join QUEST but we didn’t even know each other then at all! And we both have 40 plus pairs of shoes!

Do you have any special nicknames for eachother? If so, what are they?
Emmie and Lil Sav

 

Matt and Allan

How did you become friends?

Both of us were on the QUEST to China trip. We were in the same group of people that went to Hong Kong a few days early. We both really wanted to try new things and experience China. That was the start of the “Adventures of Matt and Allan.”

What was your favorite thing you did together on the trip?

That’s a hard question – we really enjoyed ballin’ with the locals, learning the Chinese version of hacky sack “Jianzi,” getting a massage, and basically all the sight-seeing we did.

What is something people don’t know about you guys?

During the trip to China, we both ate a scorpion!
And some may not know this, but we both have a huge love for memes.

 

 

Have you made a lasting friendship through QUEST? Let us know who your QUESTest friend is.

LeaderShape: Reflections from Q19 Attendees

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Article by: Aditya Sridhar (Q19) and Shirley Han (Q19)

Aditya Sridhar (left) and Shirley Han enjoy their time in Lake Tahoe while attending LeaderShape

“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” – Dr. Samuel Johnson, writer, lexicographer

Hi QUEST!

We hope you enjoyed your summer! This is Aditya Sridhar, Engineering Representative of QSO, and Shirley Han, of the QUEST Recruiting Team, and this summer we were sponsored by QUEST to attend the LeaderShape Institute in Tahoe City, California. LeaderShape is a six day intensive leadership training program focused on community building, personal discovery, vision development, and leading with integrity. A total of approximately 60 student leaders from across the country participated in our session. From this amazing experience we were able to explore the Lake Tahoe area, meet new people, and make lasting connections with the participants and staff. LeaderShape Institute follows its own comprehensive curriculum which consists of lesson plans, activities, and discussions, which ultimately leads to creating our own “Breakthrough Blueprint”, or a commitment to action after attending the session. Here is a short summary of our experiences throughout the week and some key takeaways we would like to share with everyone in QUEST.

The first two days at LeaderShape were primarily focused on self-examination and how that can be used to better relate with other people in order to be a more effective leader. Thus, we were expected to be vulnerable and “go against the grain” for the rest of the week so that we could improve and grow as leaders. One of the activities included each of us sharing a personal story to a group of 10 “family cluster” members. This process helped us examine our own personal values and allowed us to easily find commonalities and differences with the other members, thus helping build a closer knit community. At the end of this deep and heavy session filled with a lot of emotions, we were suggested to reflect on what we had just experienced. Additionally, we were expected to keep all our judgments and preconceived notions about ourselves and others aside for the upcoming week, as that may hinder our quest to become better leaders. At another point in Day Two, we were asked to examine ourselves in the group setting and come up with something that we would like to do differently. Each of us had to choose something that would be outside our comfort-zone and that our family cluster could hold us accountable for during the rest of the week. This taught us the importance of always recognizing what we are comfortable with, and knowing that we learn most by putting ourselves in situations that we are challenged in.

Once we recognized the diversity of the group we would be working with, we needed to learn more about everyone’s personalities as leaders. We were put in several activities throughout the outdoor challenge course to get a better sense of how we fit in and what we can do to make the team better. In addition, we were then asked to complete the DiSC© assessment in order to figure out exactly what type of leaders we are in a particular setting. From this assessment we also realized that each of us have different qualities and that we may need to change how we act depending on who was in our group and what we would like to accomplish. Most importantly, we learned that as leaders we need to be able to actively listen and empathize with everyone in order to make everyone feel a part of the group. One of the most interesting sessions was a discussion with our family cluster where we were asked to describe times when we had knowingly discriminated against a group of individuals or saw something similar and decided not to take action. Everyone seemed to have times when they have felt a prejudice toward a group of people or have had thoughts that did not necessarily seem very inclusive. These were hard things to share, but at the same time it helped us realize that even the people with the best intent may not always be doing the right thing. With all this in mind, we were expected to see the humanity in one another in order to help us lead others better by empathizing, listening, and challenging each others’ views of the world.

After learning more about ourselves and how to lead others, we focused on creating visions that we were personally passionate about. LeaderShape really encouraged “the world of possibility”, thus, we further developed our individual visions by breaking down our visions to determine the root cause for why we were so passionate about our causes. Additionally, we were able to “showcase” our visions to the other participants and staff. It was an amazing and inspiring experience to see the diverse range and scope of all the participants’ visions. Aditya’s vision was focused on promoting sustainability and clean energy while Shirley’s vision was directed towards improving childhood literacy rates globally LeaderShape also taught us how to “bring our visions to reality” by helping us determine our goals and also how to share our visions with others. In QUEST, we share and learn about people changing the world by doing great things (evidenced by the nonstop posts in the QUEST Facebook group). Even though LeaderShape encourages leaders to share their visions of the world, it emphasizes the importance of inspiring others to join in helping your vision become a reality. LeaderShape promotes that we can change the world as long as we commit to our causes and encourage others to do the same.

We ended the week learning about the significance of leading with integrity. Although the world needs leaders, more importantly, we need ethical leaders. Thus, we learned about ethics and determined our individual core values. Additionally, we were put into hypothetical situations in which our personal ethics were challenged and learned tips of how to deal with difficult ethical dilemmas. In a perfect world, all leaders would lead with integrity. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people are willing to compromise ethics in order gain an unfair advantage over others (like those involved in Enron, Worldcomm, Tyco etc.). Thus, as future leaders, we should all aspire to be ethical leaders and promote leading with integrity inside and outside the classroom.

As much as we want to share our LeaderShape experiences with others, ultimately the change in leadership can only happen if we use these lessons and turn them into practice. Our hope is that this article and our experiences will inspire you to be curious about LeaderShape as well as give you a sense of what constitutes being a better leader. We believe that some of the important things to take away are the ideas of active listening, empathy towards everyone, and leading with integrity. We also included a quick list of actions that you all can implement in order to improve yourselves as leaders. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about LeaderShape, our experiences, or have a vision you would like you share (we would love to be active listeners!). Both of us are also open to any feedback and are willing to help anyone in becoming a better leader.

6 Key Takeaways From LeaderShape Institute
1. Tailor your leadership style based on the environment and people involved.
2. Always attempt to put yourself in situations that you are not comfortable with.
3. Be enthusiastic about your causes/visions and stay true to your values.
4. Smile and attempt to thank at least one person every day.
5. Be a good, active listener but also be aware of who you are speaking to.
6. Avoid making leadership decisions based on preconceived notions.

Alumni Profile: Megan Harvey (Q14)

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Interview Conducted by Sophia Wu (Q18)

Please tell us a little bit about yourself!
I’m a QUEST alum from Cohort 14 and also a member of the QUEST Alumni board. I majored in Finance and Operations Management at UMD, and spent the first 2.5 years of my career working for Deloitte Consulting in Strategy & Operations. I’m now taking a turn in my career, and will be heading back to school to get my MBA from Kellogg in the fall.

Megan Harvey (Q14) makes a new friend in Africa


I understand you are currently working in Kenya. What type of work are you doing?

Megan at work in East Africa (seated, second from left)

I’m currently taking a break from corporate America to try to give back some of my skills to people who can really benefit! I’m working for TechnoServe on the East Africa Dairy Development program, which has been helping to stand up dairy farmer businesses in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda for the past few years; specifically, I’m working to improve the methodology for evaluating the dairy farmer co-ops. The goal is to build a tool so that the program can measure performance gaps, determine what needs to be done for the businesses to operate sustainably, and then to put together guidelines and materials for the process of the dairy businesses exiting from the program. I’m hoping to get it right so no farmer businesses fail without the program support.

Have the skills you’ve acquired from being in QUEST helped you in your career? If yes, how?
QUEST was great preparation for the working world. I was lucky enough to do a lot of work in my first few years in supply chain and manufacturing, so I actually used tools from the Quality Handbook at work. That being said, the experience in QUEST learning to working in teams, be accountable for deadlines, and present findings and recommendations provided me the most valuable skills I took from the program.

What is your favorite QUEST memory?
I had such a great time in QUEST it’s hard to pick one. But if you go through the archives of the QUEST 490 teams, I think my team’s photo shows what a great time we were having! The 490 experience made a lasting impact on my college career.

In your opinion, what was the most important lesson you learned in QUEST?
My most important lesson was that my way of approaching a problem, managing a project, and developing a solution differed greatly from my peers. I’m lucky to have learned how valuable it is to understand others’ perspectives early on, because my effort to take the time to ask my clients’ opinions and capitalize on their perspectives has set me apart in my career. Clients love to talk to me (and in doing so sometimes do my work for me!) because I listen and relate to them.

What advice would you give current QUEST students?
1. Take risks! College is a safe environment, so don’t be afraid to try something that isn’t on the syllabus, or use the time you have to seek out areas of interest. QUEST specifically is a safe academic environment, so you can use your QUEST projects to experiment, be creative, and really stretch your boundaries. If you’re not afraid to try and put in the effort, you really can do some amazing things!
2. Learn how to tell the story of your QUEST experience – and your story. What you’ve done in QUEST with your teamwork, project experience, and application of skills to a real-world problem will set you apart with any future employer if you can articulate it well.

This Summer, Where in the World is QUEST?

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Article by Alex Bansleben (Q18)

After the completion of yet another academic year, summer provides a much-needed chance to relax, unwind, and escape the normal day-to-day routine. This summer, members of the QUEST community are off to the far ends of the globe to volunteer, embrace different cultures, and enjoy time with family and friends.

Mercedes Valero (Q19):

This summer I’ll be traveling to Europe in August, more specifically London, Amsterdam and Edinburgh. In London, I will be attending various Olympic events and cheering on Team USA! And my family I decided to take the opportunity to visit Amsterdam and Edinburgh as well, two cities I have never visited, so I’m very excited. Besides that, I will be working with high school girls at the Exploring Engineering camp here at UMD as a camp counselor.

 

Chul Kwon (Q18):

On May 19th, I will be leaving for Taiwan with Melinda Song (Cohort 18). We hope to visit their night market and Taipei 101 — the second tallest skyscraper in the world. Two days later, we will rendezvous with Alex Bansleben (Cohort 18) in Bangkok, Thailand! After five days of staying in Bangkok, we will leave for Hanoi, Vietnam, where Olivia Sulaeman (Cohort 19) will join us and travel down to Saigon, or officially, Ho Chi Minh City.

Following my Southeast Asia trip with QUEST will be my internship at GE Capital. I will be working as part of the Information Technology Leadership Program in Danbury, CT. Because of its proximity to New York City, I hope to hang out with some of my QUEST buddies who will also be in the New York metropolitan area.

I will close my summer break with a trip to South Korea, where I will be visiting my old friends, as well as my family and my relatives. I will be coming back to the United States on August 24th!

 

Hannah Henningsgaard (Q17):

This summer, I will be in: Chicago (1 week), Thailand (2 weeks), Bali (1 week), Florida (2 weeks), and road tripping in New Orleans, San Antonia, Austin, New Mexico, California, Montana, Minnesota, and Michigan (5 weeks). I’ve got every day of my summer planned with my family 🙂

 

Dr. Nicole Coomber (QUEST Assistant Director):

I am excited to be traveling with Tony to visit my mother in Florida and spend some time at the beach. We’ll also be heading up to the Catskills for a pig roast with family and friends at the end of June. Other than that, I’m looking forward to some “summer reading” and finally seeing the Hunger Games.

 

Sahil Rahman (Q17):

I will be traveling to Kenya and volunteering with an organization called Volunteer HQ. While volunteering, I will be working on sport development, where you introduce a new sport to the school children. As a result, I will be teaching the kids how to play ultimate frisbee, and will be bringing many discs over to Kenya with me to teach them how to play. Then, I’ll possibly be taking a US road trip when I get back!

 

Val Kravets (Q17):

This summer, I plan to travel to 10 different countries in Europe for a month with another QUEST Cohort 17 member, Tshikuna Muanankese. Also, I will be starting a new job with the Department of Defense after I get back in July.

 

Nelly Desmerattes (Q17):

I will be volunteering and working in Thailand with International Student Volunteers. I will be there for a month working at the Mae Kok foundation with underprivileged children. I will also be touring Thailand and Cambodia. I will be back by early July to start work at Capital One by mid-July!

 

Dr. Joe Bailey (QUEST Executive Director):

I am looking forward to making progress on some work projects as well as some family vacations.  On the work front, I hope to be working on some new material in the 190 class so business students will learn more about technology development and design.  On the family front, my family and I are schedule to go to Nantucket, the Adirondacks, and Montana.  My son, Nicholas, and I hope to do a road trip to see some baseball games (minor and major league) out West.

Alumni Profile: Ransford Addei (Q3)

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Interviewed by: Sophia Wu (Q18)

Ransford Addei, Cohort 3

1)      Please tell us a little about yourself.

I was born in Ghana, West Africa. I migrated to the United States in 1992 at the age of 15 to be with my parents and also pursue my education. I graduated from High Point High School, Beltsville, MD in 1996. I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering (2001) and a Master of Engineering Degree in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering (2011), both from the University of Maryland at College Park. I work full-time at KCI Technologies, Inc. as a Project Manager within the Geotechnical Engineering Practice. I have worked on numerous civil engineering projects in Maryland. Some of my projects include the University of Maryland Football Practice Fields, MD 355 Bridge at Montrose Road (Rockville), MD-I70 Welcome Center (Frederick) and University of Maryland New Prince Frederick Hall. In addition, I work part-time as a US Army Reservist with the US Army Corps of Engineers. I am married to my beautiful wife, Linda and we have two children, Joshua and Joseph (4 and 2 years old, respectively). I enjoy playing soccer, ping-pong, basketball and watching sports on TV. My family and I currently live in the City of Laurel, Prince George’s County, MD.

 

2)  I understand that you are currently serving in Afghanistan as a part of the US Army Reserve. How has being a part of the QUEST Program helped you prepare for this career path?

One of the key skills I learned as a QUEST student is teamwork. I remember for my class capstone project, my QUEST team was tasked to work for a company called ARINC located in Annapolis, MD. The company manufactures airplane modification kits. Our task was to examine the company’s manufacturing process from the receipt of work order from the client to the acquisition of bill of materials to the manufacturing and final inspections of the parts, and provide recommendations to improve efficiency. This required teamwork and my QUEST team worked hard as a team to accomplish the task successfully. As the officer-in-charge of a team of soldiers and airmen, I rely heavily on the teamwork skills I developed as a QUEST student to accomplish my mission. My team is tasked to advise and train Afghanistan National Army Engineers to operate, maintain and sustain the facilities at their bases.  This mission requires working as a team with the Afghans to be successful.

 

3)    If you were to go back in time and retake a QUEST class, which one would it be and why?

I would retake “Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Quality”. This was an interesting class. My work in Afghanistan involves working with NATO (Coalition) forces from different countries. A refresher course on cross-cultural perspectives on quality would enhance my working relationship with Coalition forces.

 

4)      What is your favorite QUEST memory? 

My favorite QUEST memory is the horseback ride at Camp Horizons in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  It was my first horseback ride and I will never forget that.

 

5)      What advice would you give current QUEST students?

My advice to current QUEST students is first of all, to put God first in everything. Second, don’t be afraid to take risks. Third, set goals and work hard to achieve those goals. When you fail at something, it is not the end of the world. Learn from your mistakes and keep trying until you get it right. Remember, engineers and businessmen and businesswomen for that matter, are not paid to say “I don’t know”. Work on your problem-solving skills. You will be surprised how much you know. GO QUEST!

 

Alumni Profile: Jessica Danyluk (Q4)

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Article by Kathryn Weiland (QUEST GA)

Jessica Danyluk is a prime example of a world traveler. Having grown up in Easton, Pennsylvania, Jessica has launched herself far from her small-town roots in order to embrace a life of international travel. Her exciting career path, accompanied by her zest for embracing the unknown, makes her the ideal candidate for this month’s alumni profile.

Jessica joined QUEST (known then as IBM/TQ) as an international business and French major and a member of Cohort 4. One of her first memories of QUEST relates to her first day in BMGT190, which was held in a large teaching theater with computers at each station. “Before my first QUEST class, I didn’t know how to use Microsoft Windows, and here I am sitting at a computer station and I had no idea what to do,” Jessica remembers. “The classmate I was sitting next to, Barry Kaplan, noticed that I was struggling and helped me get through that first class. It was very humbling to have come out of high school thinking I know what I’m doing and realizing I still have a lot to learn.” Since that day, Barry and Jessica became good friends and stayed that way throughout college. Jessica also made another life-long friend in QUEST, Saquib Chowdhury, which allowed her the unique opportunity to visit his home country of Bangladesh after college.

Another way in which QUEST helped Jessica was through her participation in the BMGT490 capstone project. Her role on that project was to work as the liaison between her team and their corporate partner. During a career fair in the spring before graduation, Jessica had a mini-interview with some representatives from the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). Coincidentally, the prospective job involved working as a liaison, and once Jessica mentioned her experiences in QUEST to the interviewers, the meeting took on a whole new life. “My experiences with the QUEST capstone project was the thing that got them interested in me,” says Jessica. She accepted a full-time job with the SEC following her graduation in May 1999, where she worked as a liaison for the Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA offices.

After spending six and a half years at the SEC, Jessica was ready for a change, but wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Up to that point, she had been living in Annapolis, Maryland with a roommate who had just relocated to Sydney, Australia. Shortly after the move, Jessica flew to Sydney to visit her friend and had an unexpected revelation: she fell in love with Sydney, and soon was packing her things to relocate permanently to Australia. “I was there for several months, traveling around the country and having a great time, when finally I started to interview for jobs,” Jessica says. She accepted a position at Goldman Sachs working in Compliance covering Australia and New Zealand, and remained there for approximately five years. Although she still loved Sydney, Jessica felt herself itching for another change. After considering several possible locations, she found herself relocating to Winchester, England in June 2011. Each day, Jessica rides the train about an hour into the city to her job at Macquarie Group, a firm specializing in international banking and finance. Although she only has two months in her current role under her belt, she reflects on her experiences thus far: “I’m really enjoying it, but it’s definitely the hardest job I’ve ever had, aside from the fact that I’m new and still learning the ropes. I work in investment banking compliance, covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, so it can be high-risk work with a lot more responsibility than my previous roles.”

When asked if she had any advice for current QUEST students, Jessica pauses for a while to figure out what to say. Finally, she realizes that her own experiences provide the best advice. “Don’t be afraid to move overseas. It’s really a wonderful experience. Your family might not appreciate it at first, but once they realize how exciting it can be, they will be supportive. When I lived in Annapolis, I was very settled; I owned a house, and I had my responsibilities there, but once I realized that I wanted to move to Sydney, I was able to just pick up and go. It is so easy to stay in the house you have always lived in, in the town you are comfortable in, but it’s really worth going and seeing the world.” When asked if she would like to relocate elsewhere in the near future, Jessica says that she is happy where she is now. Although she doesn’t have any plans to move back to the states, she is leaving her options open and seeing what opportunities may come her way.

When Jessica is not busy working, she enjoys running, and obviously, traveling. She also sailed frequently while in Australia, but hasn’t had the opportunity to enjoy that hobby since moving to England. True to her friendly nature, Jessica ends our conversation by making a very generous offer: “If anyone decides to travel to England in the near future, please get in touch with me! I would be happy to make travel recommendations and even show them around.” And considering her connection with QUEST, her knowledge of international travel, and her warm personality, walking the streets of London with Jessica for a day sounds like it would be time well-spent.

Student Profile- Special QSO Edition

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Article by Dathan Scott (Q18)

Editor’s Note:  Over the next few issues, QUESTPress will be having a special Student Profile column. Each month, we will be highlighting 1-2 new members of the QSO board. Enjoy! 

Welcome back, everyone! As you all should know by now, a new QSO board was elected for the new year, and we are looking to build on the successes and achievements of its predecessor, or QSO 2011 as I will call them. QSO 2011 fostered, completed, and maintained a number of great things, keeping everyone in the QUEST community informed and active in their involvement and communication with each other. Who could forget great events like QUEST Laser Tag, the QUEST Alumni Dinner, and the QUEST Barbeque with the showdown of the inflatable sumo suits! Plus, I know we all remember the start of the great tradition that is the QUEST Formal. Students, faculty, and alumni all were able to come out and have a great time at these events. Thanks to a record turnout of students at the board member elections last December, a new QSO board was chosen. So who were the selected few to carry on the torch and be known as QSO 2012?

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the new members. Ladies and gentlemen, your QSO 2012.

President: Sara Bleistein – Cohort 19

Madame President Sara Bleistein has what it takes to lead such a great team of students. The accounting and finance major delivered a great speech during the QSO elections, highlighting the major ideas and the direction that she would like to see QSO and QUEST go. She is a proud member of the Alpha Chi Omega women’s sorority and is in the Honors Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program. This may hint to what the future may hold for her; I’m thinking President and CEO, yes?

Sara has worked for Shutterbooth as a sales representative, and at Bentley’s on Route 1. Being the great young woman that she is, Sara gives a lot of credit to her two older brothers who have been her role models from a young age. She gets things done in the classroom, obviously, but something you might not have known is that she is a huge sports fan. She loves UMD sports, especially basketball, and is a diehard Orioles and Ravens fan. She plays sports like volleyball, softball, and flag football, so do not take her lightly at all.

Her goal is for QSO to have a more active role in uniting and supporting the QUEST community.  In the words of a true leader, Sarah reflects on QUEST: “Our community is full of potential because all members have so much to offer each other and the organization as a whole, and I want to work with the other members of QSO in order to aid the members of our community in reaching their full potential and, in turn, allow QUEST to reach its full potential.” She also adds that it is the job of the QSO to help improve the transparency between QSO and the entire QUEST community. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you ever need her, she’ll be happy to provide you with her number. Hit her up on Facebook or you can probably catch her at Chipotle almost every day.