As the semester comes to a close, students are looking forward to their summer plans. While some are excited to travel or catch up with friends and family, many students are also using the break as an opportunity to take on jobs and internships. This week, I had the chance to learn about a variety of internships that QUESTees are getting involved with.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Student Spotlight
Cohort 41’s Journey from Innovation to Real-World Impact
As always, the end of a semester marks the time to celebrate the achievements of our graduating cohort. On May 7th, the QUEST community gathered at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center for Cohort 41’s QUEST Conference. To kick off the event, Phil Tulkoff, the retired CEO and President of Tulkoff Food Products–a Baltimore-based company and a long-time QUEST project champion–shared a few opening remarks. Reflecting on their 15 years of collaboration with QUEST, Tulkoff emphasized that QUEST students consistently bring “fresh eyes, new thinking, and a level of energy that pushes [his] team to think differently.” These words are especially true for this cohort–four of whom I had the privilege of speaking with about their project and their biggest takeaways from QUEST.
Continue readingFlipping Tassels & Chasing Dreams: Celebrating our Graduating QUESTees
As the spring sun sets on another academic year, we are excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our QUEST graduates. With the semester wrapping up, QUESTees from Cohorts 39 and 40 are putting the finishing touches on their final assignments and exams, ready to flip their tassels and embark on exciting new adventures beyond graduation. From unforgettable team memories and evolving leadership abilities to impressive professional journeys, these students have left a lasting impact on the QUEST community and beyond. This month, I had the chance to sit down with some of our well-accomplished seniors to learn about their favorite QUEST memories, their post-grad plans, and how the program has shaped their college experience and future careers.
I first had the opportunity to talk with Arav Patel (Cohort 39), a Computer Science major, who fondly reminisces about his first days in QUEST. Initially drawn to the program by a flyer and encouraged by his father’s colleagues at IBM, Patel recalls being excited to step outside his typical computer science setting and collaborate with students from diverse fields like engineering and business. When asked to describe his QUEST journey in three words, Patel chose “motivating, fun, and collaborative.” He shared how QUEST brought together intelligent, driven individuals who relied on each other’s strengths. “Overcoming team challenges and forming lasting friendships with my cohort were pivotal experiences in my personal and professional growth,” he reflected. One of his favorite memories from QUEST was the Silicon Valley trip, where he had the chance to explore the city and bond with friends, including fellow senior Akash Marakath (Cohort 40), while creating unforgettable memories together.
Looking ahead, Patel plans to venture into the world of entrepreneurship by continuing to build his startup playgoldai.com and seek venture capital funding. He plans on returning to Princeton, NJ, where he will focus on growing his startup from the comfort of his hometown, all while hopefully getting in a few travel trips to new places. With the freedom that comes post-graduation, he’s eager to balance the hustle of entrepreneurship with exploring the world and embracing the flexibility that comes with this next chapter.
I next had the opportunity to interview Akash Marakath (Cohort 40), a Mechanical Engineering major whose journey through QUEST has been nothing short of transformative. When asked to describe his QUEST journey in three words, Marakath chose “exhilarating, elevating, and enriching,” each word capturing the essence of his time in the program. For him, QUEST has been much more than just academic—it’s been a space for deep personal development and reflection.
For Marakath, the most important lesson QUEST imparted was “to take a deep dive into a problem before rushing into a solution.” This shift in mindset didn’t just affect his academic work—it extended into his personal life, too. “I used to be quick to react or make decisions impulsively, but now I’ve learned to pause, think carefully, and make more thoughtful choices,” he reflected. It’s a lesson he carries with him, tackling challenges with a newfound sense of clarity and confidence.
Marakath’s journey was also deeply shaped by his involvement in QUEST organizations, where he mentions finding a community despite not knowing anyone in the program beforehand. As part of the QUEST Social team, he helped organize the 2023 QUEST Formal, from designing the neon sign to crafting keychains for the first 50 attendees. His contributions earned him one of only eight Outstanding Service Awards from the QUEST Quality Guild (Faculty and Staff)—an honor given to students who go above and beyond for the program. “Creating memorable experiences for the community is something I’m truly proud of,” Marakath said, reflecting on the impact of his leadership. His efforts not only enriched the QUEST community but also sharpened skills he will carry into his career.
Looking ahead, Marakath is excited to take the next step in his journey. This summer, he’ll be interning at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation as a Special Programs Intern, before heading back to UMD in the fall to pursue his Master’s in Aerospace Engineering, with a focus on rotorcraft. He’s eager to continue honing his engineering skills and dive deeper into the world of aerospace, all while finding time for some road trips and a visit to Italy next year.
Patel encourages future QUESTees to connect with staff early on. “At first, I saw them as just professors,” he said. “But once I got to know them, I realized they’re not just instructors—they’re mentors and friends who genuinely care about your growth.” He advises students to engage with staff like Jess, Emily, and Professor David Ashley, who provide not only academic support but also invaluable guidance and networking opportunities. “They’re people you can rely on, whether for advice on your business or just to catch up.” On the same note, Marakath believes getting involved in QUEST clubs is key to growth. “You’ll make friends and develop leadership skills you won’t get anywhere else,” he shares. Through his work with QUEST Social, he learned how to lead and collaborate, skills that have shaped his college experience. His advice: “Dive into these opportunities—they’ll help you grow in ways you never imagined.”
As we celebrate Patel, Marakath, and all of our graduating QUESTees, we look back with pride at the hard work, dedication, and growth they’ve shown throughout their time in the program. QUEST has been an incubator for brilliant minds, helping students not only excel academically but also develop critical skills that will propel them forward in their careers. We are incredibly proud of all our graduates and grateful to have had such dedicated individuals as part of our QUEST family. We look forward to the bright futures they will undoubtedly shape and are excited to see where their journeys lead them next.
If you see any familiar names below, be sure to congratulate them and keep an eye out for all the great things that will soon accomplish. Our 2025 graduates (with cohort):
- Carter Austin 37
- Tyler Braisted 39
- Jennifer Chiang 39
- Claire Dever 39
- Arti Dhareshwar 39
- Pranav Dulepet 39
- John Fitzsimmons 39
- Maia Gustafson 39
- Ananya Khanna 39
- Avinash Komarlingam 39
- Ege Korkmaz 39
- Emily Li 39
- Samuel Low 39
- Michael Mallamaci 39
- Abigail Manga 39
- Angela McGonigle 39
- Rajit Mukhopadhyay 39
- Jake Muller 39
- Annie Ni 39
- Arav Patel 39
- Vinamr Pemmaraju 39
- Manny Sachs-Kohen 39
- Neeharikha Satrasala 39
- Adelina Seck 39
- Imaad Syed 39
- Jamil Takieddine 39
- Elijah Thompson 39
- Ansh Viswanathan 39
- Matthew Weirich 39
- Tristan Won 39
- James Yates 39
- Akshita Alousyes 40
- Shira Amar 40
- Eric Chen 40
- Allison Chung 40
- Caelia Chung 40
- Jack Collier 40
- Supriya Daddi 40
- Nour Eloseily 40
- Brian Epstein 40
- Alexis Faucette 40
- Jacob Fishman 40
- Patricia Guillen 40
- Arihant Gupta 40
- Nikita Khapre 40
- Kim Lek 40
- Brooke Lesser 40
- Jennifer Li 40
- Akash Marakath 40
- Duncan Millar 40
- Rahul Nair 40
- Karen Nguyen 40
- Anika Peshwa 40
- Maya Pollack 40
- Ashmita Pyne 40
- Nandini Shah 40
- Noah Stern 40
- Stirling Supple 40
- Bhargav Tumkur 40
- Amman Vahora 40
- Pavan Varthakavi 40
- Shruthi Venkatachari 40
- Kiran Vepa 40
- Timothy Woerner 40
- Vincent Yu 40
- Michael Zhao 40
- Will Procheska 41
Breaking Barriers with Business: QUEST Students Win Big at Global Sustainability Challenge
For a group of University of Maryland students, what began as an opportunity to learn and explore a new city transformed into a milestone achievement on the international stage. Representing the Robert H. Smith School of Business and the QUEST Honors Program, information systems and finance double majors Marvi Shroff (Cohort 42), Eileen Chen (Cohort 41), Meilin Yuan (Cohort 42), and Jiayi Wang (Cohort 41) recently clinched first place at the 2025 Milgard Invitational Case Competition on Social Responsibility (MICCSR), hosted in Seattle, WA. The event brought together 19 teams from five countries, all challenged to tackle a real-world challenge: determining which aerospace giant—Airbus, Boeing, or Embraer—deserved a major investment based on both financial performance and environmental responsibility.
Continue readingFresh Faces, Big Dreams: Meet Cohorts 45 and 46
Incoming! Cohorts 45 and 46 have officially arrived! After receiving over 415 applications, reviewing them all, and conducting over 150 interviews, 90 new impressive QUEST students have been selected. Earlier this month, the Quality Guild (QUEST Faculty and staff) released the names of the 90 students who will be joining our QUEST community. I had a chance to connect with three of these talented students to ask them about the application process and what they are looking forward to in the coming years.
Continue readingMaking a Global Medical Impact: Student Spotlight on Wilhelm Smith
This month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Wilhelm Smith, a junior bioengineering major (Cohort 42). Currently a researcher at the University of Maryland’s Global Medical Devices Lab, Smith is working on creating a portable low-cost laparoscopy device for use in low and middle-income countries.
Three Weeks of Impact: Break Through Tech’s Sprinternship Program
What can you really achieve in just three weeks? These QUEST students pushed the limits of a typical software engineering internship and delivered real results.
Over the course of three weeks in January 2025, two QUEST students, Joanne Lee (Q44) and I, Neola Dsouza (Q44), gained invaluable technical experience, built strong professional connections, and contributed to creating a meaningful impact.
Both Lee and I got our internships through Break Through Tech’s Sprinternship program. Break Through Tech is a unique opportunity at UMD, part of the Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing. The organization provides many opportunities for students in tech at the University of Maryland, regardless of their major. Their programs, such as the Sprinternship, aim to help students build community in tech and gain professional experience that will lead to future internships and jobs.
Lee, a sophomore pursuing a dual degree in Computer Science and Immersive Media Design with a minor in Statistics, interned at Mastercard. During her internship, she worked with four other students to create a fully-functional web interface that allowed users to select the feature from a dropdown menu, input a start and end date, and receive a unique financial pattern analysis from the system based on those dates. This fixed dates feature would become part of an internal financial pattern analysis tool that Mastercard already uses to provide consulting to their client companies.
Reflecting back on her experience, Lee says that “balancing professionalism with approachability” helped her form strong connections and leave a positive impression! She bonded with her fellow Sprinterns through exploring Mastercard’s Arlington office, solving challenging problems, eating lunch together, and playing Super Smash Bros matches in their game room. Professionally, she frequently had coffee chats with current employees and learned about how they navigated their own career paths. “I think there’s a lot of emphasis on knowing exactly what your career goals are as a student, especially in the software engineering community,” said Lee. “And it was nice to gain some perspective from people who have been in the field for a long time.”
Through her Sprinternship, Lee strengthened her intuitive skills and picked up the best practices needed to succeed as an intern. She looks forward to applying this knowledge in her upcoming summer software development internship at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
At the same time, I had the opportunity to intern at the University of Maryland Libraries, where I also worked on a real-world software development project. I am a sophomore pursuing a dual degree in Computer Science and Geographical Sciences with a concentration in Geospatial Data Science. During January, I worked with three other interns to design and build a replacement IP manager web application. Administrators could access the site through an improved user interface, and the Libraries’ external applications, such as their websites and online databases, could access the data through the site’s API.
My highlight over those three weeks was meeting with and talking to not only software developers, but also to directors, librarians, and the former dean of UMD Libraries. Through those conversations, I learned about how libraries operate and their role in storing and sharing knowledge. I’ve realized how important it is to me to work on a project that’ll make a positive impact. When our application goes live, many faculty, students, and researchers across campus and the world will have a better experience accessing digital content through the Libraries’ sites and databases!
This summer, I am excited to apply all of the technical and collaborative skills I’ve developed to my software engineering internship at United Airlines.
Students can get involved with Break through Tech by attending events, joining student organizations such as the Association for Women in Computing, CODE: Black, and Technica or by participating in their professional mentoring program or the RESET Project, a program that offers scholarships and community building with a focus on BLNA women!
Looking Forward to Spring Break: QUEST’s Much Anticipated Return to Silicon Valley
Spring break is right around the corner, and for Aliza Syyid, a QUEST Cohort 42 student majoring in information systems, it’s more than just a break—it’s an incredible opportunity. Through her QUEST elective, Design and Innovation in Silicon Valley (BMGT438G/ENES489Q), she’s heading across the country with 23 other students to explore the heart of tech innovation. This will be her first time to the West Coast, and she couldn’t be more excited to visit some of the most influential companies in the world, connect with industry leaders, and gain firsthand insight into the tech landscape.
This semester is particularly special for QUEST, as it marks the long-awaited return of the QUEST to Silicon Valley elective—offered for the first time since before COVID. The course immerses students in the principles of design, innovation, and quality by taking them directly to top companies in the Bay Area. Throughout the experience, students engage with alumni, research company operations, and apply their learning in real-world settings. As part of the course, students will also develop and pitch business innovations based on their experiences.
A Packed Itinerary: From San Francisco to Palo Alto
Syyid, along with her fellow QUESTees, will kick off their journey in San Francisco, spending the first half of the trip visiting major companies, networking with professionals, and soaking in the city’s vibrant atmosphere. Midway through the program, the team will travel down to Palo Alto, where they will continue their exploration of the tech industry and meet more QUEST alumni and company representatives.
Under the guidance of QUEST’s amazing Assistant Director Jessica Roffe, QUEST students will have an action-packed schedule that includes visits to companies such as Pinterest, LinkedIn, ABC News, Salesforce, DoorDash, Meta, DataRobot, Nuro, PayPal, Apple, and Google. Each visit will provide invaluable insights into how these companies operate, their approach to product design and innovation, and the unique challenges they face in today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape.
For Syyid, this experience is about more than just coursework—it’s about stepping outside her comfort zone, applying her skills, and making meaningful connections. She is particularly eager to leverage her project management and analytical skills to better understand the role they play in shaping Silicon Valley’s most successful companies. Throughout the semester, she has been honing her networking abilities, preparing to introduce herself confidently and engage with professionals who have built their careers on the West Coast.
For Syyid, this trip is even more exciting because she gets to work closely with Pinterest, her designated company to contact and collaborate with. She is especially eager to connect with Jeremy Krach, a QUEST alum from Cohort 25 and Security Lead at Pinterest. Throughout the visit, Syyid looks forward to engaging with employees, learning about their career paths, and exploring Pinterest’s innovative approach to design and technology. As a junior still shaping her career aspirations, she hopes this experience will provide a clearer perspective on different roles, company cultures, and potential career paths. With graduation on the horizon, she’s excited to see how this trip helps her envision where she wants to be after QUEST.
“I’m really excited to see how the work culture differs between companies,” Syyid shared. “I’ve never been to Silicon Valley before, so I’m really excited to check it out. I’m hoping this trip helps me figure out what kind of place—and where—I’d want to work after graduation.” Beyond professional growth, Syyid is also thrilled about the chance to explore the Bay Area with her QUEST friends—traveling independently without her family for the first time. From walking across the Golden Gate Bridge to trying out new restaurants, she plans to make the most of her free time between company visits.
With an incredible itinerary, invaluable learning experiences, and a chance to build lifelong connections, QUEST to Silicon Valley is truly a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Syyid’s excitement is contagious, and her journey is sure to inspire future QUEST students to apply for this course.
So, would you take the leap and explore Silicon Valley? Stay tuned for updates on Syyid’s trip and insights from the QUEST team’s adventure!
Reflections on the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
As we spring into a new semester, students are reminiscing about their month-long winter break. Whether they traveled, relaxed at home, or worked on projects, it’s clear that this free time was much needed and allowed for some amazing opportunities for students. Today, I invited some fellow QUESTees to share their about experiences during the break.
First, I spoke to Imaad Syed, an electrical engineering major from Cohort 39, to learn more about a project he’s been working on in the Photonics Research Lab at UMD. Syed is a part of the electrical engineering honors program and was able to continue his research on the fiber optic system during break. Because of varying fluctuations in the fiber length, the polarization levels can change. This can cause the receiver in an optic system to incorrectly interpret a signal.
Syed’s solution is to use a single polarization controller that can adjust the polarization state and maintain frame alignment, leading to a more accurate interpretation of the signals. Because he also lives quite close to UMD, Syed was able to come in frequently during the break to tackle this challenge and make new discoveries.
“It can definitely be a lot sometimes, but I find it really interesting, and I’ve learned a lot from the past courses I’ve taken. I feel more confident now going into the lab myself and learning from my mistakes.” Syed is looking forward to continuing the project this semester and can’t wait to go to Silicon Valley for his QUEST elective over spring break!
While some QUESTees worked on fascinating projects, others traveled across the country. Eileen Chen, a finance and information systems major from Cohort 41, went traveling to Thailand and China. “We visited China since I actually have family there! We were able to visit my grandparents and my aunt which was really nice as we haven’t been back since before COVID.” Chen also visited Bangkok for the first time and particularly enjoyed getting to see different islands. “It was really beautiful! My favorite island was Phuket Island, and we also got to rent a boat which was a lot of fun for us.”
Coming up, Chen is excited to visit her friends over spring break in Madrid. They are currently studying abroad, so she is looking forward to reuniting with everyone again! She is also taking part in a consulting case competition in Seattle with a few classmates later this semester, including some fellow QUESTees.
Similarly, Naasera Husain, an operations management and business analytics major in Cohort 43, also traveled over break to Puerto Rico as well as Chicago and Boston! Husain especially enjoyed the beaches in Puerto Rico and the food it had to offer. She also had a blast getting to see old friends in Chicago and Boston, despite the cold weather.
“Winter break was a lot of fun, but I’m excited for this semester too! I’m starting the 390H course for QUEST (Designing Innovative Systems), and my classes are finally more geared towards my major which is really motivating for me.”
Lastly, I reached out to Raquel Ford, a marketing student in Cohort 42, who participated in the National Retail Federation (NRF) student program in New York City, for which she was a student ambassador. Ford found the opportunity especially insightful as she got to listen to speakers involved in retail and fashion, which is an interest she is passionate in pursuing.
After that, Ford traveled across Europe to Milan, Florence, and Rome for a short-term study abroad program called “Sustaining Luxury.” Ford was able to network with several companies like Wrad, Kering, Panerai, and Gruppo Florence. “This was definitely my favorite part of winter break. It was awesome to immerse myself in the world of fashion and learn so much about the business of all of it; it felt like my professional dreams were coming true!”
This semester, Ford hopes to continue pursuing opportunities in fashion to land an internship this summer.
Even though winter break is over, these experiences only motivate students to keep up their hard work and stay focused. Before we know it, we’ll all be off pursuing our passions and maybe even traveling the world. Until then, spring invites us to a warm and welcoming semester!
Breaking Into Tech, One Social Media Post at a Time: A Student Spotlight on Ume Habiba
Meet Ume Habiba, a senior who’s helping women break into the tech industry! She’s gained 87,000 followers on Instagram since March and has spoken at multiple tech conferences, including Google’s DevFest, Kode with Klossy’s speaker series, and php[tek]!
