Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Do you love pickles? Well, come try some of Chris & Eric’s Pickles on campus! I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Moon (Cohort 42) and Hudson Grill (Cohort 42) about their new business, Chris & Eric’s Pickles.
Founders Chris Moon and Eric Bennett holding their pickle jars!
From pie-making to fall hikes to costume parties to football, fall is a season filled with good food, spooky fun, and long-lasting memories. These four QUESTees had a lot to share about their upcoming fall season plans.
Diwali candle-lighting ceremony
The school year is back in full swing, and so is QUEST. But what were our fabulous QUESTees up to this summer? I had the pleasure of speaking with three QUESTees with amazing summers. Let’s see what they were up to! Continue reading
Guest Feature by Valeria Salas-Dietz (Cohort 39)
On August 22nd, Cohort 43 students traveled to the Sandy Hill Camp & Retreat Center for a two-day excursion that defined and launched the beginning of their QUEST journeys. I was lucky enough to be able to accompany the fresh QUESTees as one of their mentors this semester.
Cohort 43 at QUEST Camp!
As this term comes to an end, we wanted to share some of our favorite QUESTPress memories and how this community has changed our lives for the better.
Summer break is fast approaching, and that means diplomas are arriving! Students in Cohort 37 & Cohort 38 are enjoying these warm days and celebrating the end of the semester with senior pictures and DC brunches. I was able to connect with a few graduating QUESTees about how QUEST influenced their college careers.
As the school year drew to a close, QUEST Social planned a variety of events to celebrate the hard work of all the QUEST students and welcome the new students in Cohort 43 and Cohort 44 who were recently accepted to the program in March.
A QUEST Social member, Anna Fulton, gave her own take on how these events panned out, ranging from everything from the spring formal to the senior send-off and end-of-the-year picnic. First off, Fulton discussed the formal, which was on Thursday, April 18th.
This month, I had the pleasure of speaking with some inspiring QUESTees about how the QUEST community has been a key element to their success. Let’s see what they had to say about their QUEST journeys so far!
Faith LeBrun of Cohort 41 says that working in QUEST teams has helped her become a better leader and team member. “QUEST has strengthened my communication skills, especially in teams with diverse perspectives. Moreover, it has helped me get better at managing my time, developing project ideas, and delegating tasks.” QUEST has also inspired her to reach out to her peers and the QUEST alumni network for interview techniques.
LeBrun (Cohort 41) with her BMGT190H team
Similarly, Abby Bond of Cohort 37 has learned a lot by networking with QUESTees both in and out of her major. “I was able to reach out to alumni in a plethora of roles and figure out what I wanted in a career. Through those professional interactions and interactions with our clients in classes, I’ve built confidence in my professional communication skills. Now I am able to present my best self and communicate my goals more effectively, which has helped me find roles that are best suited to me.” She also notes that the very nature of multidisciplinary teams has given her the opportunity to “communicate complex ideas simply by breaking them down into palatable ways.”
Bond (Cohort 37) giving a presentation at her previous internship
QUEST not only gives us opportunities to learn from our amazing alumni, but also from our peers currently going through the program. Sometimes, they can give the best advice!
Sebastian DeCady of Cohort 41 says that his peers have inspired him in many ways. One piece of advice that he’s gotten is to “be comfortable being uncomfortable.” He says, “This advice has propelled me further than I ever imagined, allowing me to look at my weaknesses as opportunities to build new strengths.”
DeCady (Cohort 41) with his BMGT190H team
Ume Habiba of Cohort 38 says that the most beneficial advice she’s received is to take advantage of all opportunities, whether or not they align with your immediate goals. “I think this was very valuable to me and my career because I was able to try different things and broaden my skillsets in different roles.”
Habiba (Cohort 38) with her BMGT490H team
Bond thinks that sometimes inspiration can be hidden. “I am constantly inspired by QUESTees around me. Seeing how they are driven by their passions and how they are able to be such caring, fun people inspires me to be my best self. I am so grateful for the friends I have made through this program.”
If there’s one thing that I could say about Akshita Alousyes, it’s that she means business. I guess that’s perfect since she is a business major. But seriously, as an Information Systems and Accounting double major in Cohort 40, she is definitely busy. So, let’s see how she can prioritize commitments during the chaos of midterms and all the other stress that school can bring.
Akshita Alousyes (Cohort 40)
To start, she walked me through a typical day in her life. When first asked what a typical day looks like, she responded by saying “AHH, terrible,” giving a little chuckle. She enjoys her busy days, but she acknowledges that they can bring some stress and be overwhelming at times. Alousyes starts her day bright and early between 6-7 AM. Although her classes do not start until 11 AM, she likes to wake up early to give herself some time to get ready for the day and mentally prepare for what’s to come.
She notes that once she is out, she typically doesn’t come back to the apartment until the end of the day. Her classes typically end in the late afternoon, and she enjoys getting her work done in between classes. After her long day, Alousyes has her little “social hour.” This is the time she makes to meet up with her friends, call family, and just have some quality time with the people that she loves. Last but not least, Alousyes heads to meetings with her business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, or a rehearsal with her dance team here at UMD.
Although Alousyes appreciates her time with friends and loves to make the most of the clubs she’s involved in, she makes sure to dedicate some well-deserved “me time” at the end of the night. She’ll typically turn on a show and snuggle up in bed after doing her daily skincare routine.
Alousyes at the McKeldin Mall
When asked how she manages her busy schedule, she emphasized the importance of her health. “What I’ve noticed is that the days that I don’t sleep, eat, or exercise well, it ends up slowing me down. When I make time for those things, I feel like everything else just falls into place. I have the energy to do everything I need to, and my mood is so much more calm and positive.”
It was inspiring talking to Alousyes; she’s the definition of discipline and motivation while being a kind-hearted person. To close out our conversation, she shared an interesting fun fact: “This is gonna sound a little crazy, but I may have broken my foot when trying to do a TikTok dance…”
That’s Akshita Alousyes for you: a little bit crazy but always driven to get the task done, even if it means breaking her foot for it!
Did you know that the Moon has one of the harshest thermal environments in the solar system? Apparently, because of its lack of atmosphere, rotational period, and thermophysical properties, surface temperatures on the sun-lit side of the Moon can exceed 240℉. In contrast, temperatures on the dark side and in craters can plunge to -300℉! This is an interesting fact that I was unaware of regarding our Moon that I learned when interviewing Brian Langbein, a student in Cohort 40 who is currently doing a co-op at NASA.
Langbein is working at the Goddard Space Flight Center located in Greenbelt, MD. This location is centered around unmanned scientific missions – like the Hubble or James Webb Space Telescope. Currently, the QUESTee is working in the Thermal Engineering Branch on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, an infrared space telescope set to launch in 2027, tentatively.
Brian Langbein (Cohort 40) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Specifically, Langbein’s team works to ensure that the sensitive technology in the telescope can withstand the intense thermal loads experienced in orbit over a million miles from Earth. Since every piece of technology has a temperature requirement to be able to function properly, this is imperative to the success of the infrared telescope. His job is to run thermal simulations, analyze test data, and generate temperature predictions to fine-tune the team’s spacecraft thermal model.
Outside of his position, Langbein has the opportunity to talk with multiple professionals about their respective fields. It is a great way to learn more about space and the niche technology that goes into exploring it.
Langbein in protective equipment.
As for the future, Langbein hopes to continue his career at NASA and one day contribute to manned missions, such as the Artemis Project. This co-op is a way for him to learn and grow within NASA, so he can have an impact on as many NASA missions as he chooses to work on. Best of luck to Brian this semester as you complete your co-op!