Category Archives: Student Spotlight

Student Adith Thummalapalli Leads the QUEST to Improve Campus Accessibility

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My name is Adith Thummalapalli, and I’m a Mechanical Engineering major in Q30! Recently, I helped publish a report outlining accessibility issues and barriers for students with disabilities on campus, called the Campus Accessibility Report. You may have seen it circulating on social media or seen the article that the Diamondback wrote about it. I want to share how this report came about, why I decided to write it, and talk about what everyone working on this “quest” hopes to see moving forward! So here goes.

QUEST Student Adith Thummalapalli on campus (Julia Nikhinson/The Diamondback)

It all started a little less than a year ago (last September to be precise). One of my best friends was having a birthday party at her apartment in Kent Hall and had started planning it since the end of July. I was planning to go, so to make sure the building was wheelchair accessible, I called ResLife and was told that the entire basement and first floor of Kent was accessible but that the higher floors may not be due to lack of an elevator. To double check, I went on the ResLife website and Kent was indeed designated as having some rooms that were intended for occupation by a student with disabilities. This was at the end of July. However, when move-in day came around at the end of August, my friend told me that she didn’t see a ramp up to the first floor, only 6 steps. So I called ResLife again and spoke to another representative, who told me that Kent was not accessible at all, and when I told her that the ResLife website said it was, she replied, “Oh, then I guess it is then.”

This was my first indication of the lack of communication occurring within ResLife regarding accessibility. After this, I went around taking photographs of the entrances of all the residence halls that claimed to be accessible but were not and researching the ADA Standards and building codes regarding what buildings could claim to be accessible, during which time I remembered another issue I had encountered many times before: inaccessible crosswalks with no curb cuts. So I began researching the ADA Standards related to that and taking photographs of all the crosswalks that did not have curb cuts at one or both ends. I started putting all of this information into a google doc and adding to it whenever I came across other barriers to accessibility around campus, until I eventually put it aside once last semester started getting work-heavy.

It wasn’t until the beginning of this semester that I returned to the document. The first two weeks of the semester, I was unable to get to two of my classes on the 3rd floor of J.M. Patterson due to an elevator upgrade, which was a planned project, but a project that nobody outside of Facilities Management was notified of. The ADS Office on campus, which handles academic accommodations for students with disabilities, was not informed about the project at all. If they had been, they would’ve been able to move my classes for the first two weeks until the project was completed. Luckily, I only missed syllabus week and the first week of content and had friends in the classes whom I got notes from, so it was manageable. I complained to Facilities Management and others about the issue for about a week, and their eventual response was to give me a number to call whenever I needed to use the elevator. The first (and only time) I tried calling the number, a person from Facilities Management took 30 minutes to arrive, at which point class had already begun and was 15 minutes in.

This was the second time I had run into the issue of abysmal communication between campus entities regarding physical barriers to access, and I thought something had to be done about it. So I went to the Diamondback and they published an article about my inability to get to class for two weeks due to scheduled elevator maintenance. After sharing the article on social media, I received an unexpected amount of support from people hearing about the situation and urging me to do something to ensure accountability and better communication between campus entireties. And that’s when Doron Tadmor in Q29 reached out to me. I had taken a non-QUEST class with Doron two semesters ago and knew he was active with SGA. He wanted to sit down and talk about how SGA could help me.

During our conversation, I mentioned my “evidence document,” and he suggested that we turn it into a formal report, submit it to SGA and get their endorsement, and then send it to the campus entities and offices that needed to see it (the Office of the President, Facilities Management, the Office of Administration and Finance, and the Presidents Commission on Disability Issues). For the next month, we worked on turning my mess of evidence into a professional report with the help of an SGA graphics team and additional stories added by other students with disabilities and eventually were ready to present it to SGA and get their endorsement. Thanks to the hard work of the wonderful Jenn Miller, the motion passed unanimously and we had official SGA backing for the Campus Accessibility Report. After that, we shared the report on social media, the Diamondback wrote an article about it, and a local news station (CTV News Prince George’s County) did a story about accessibility barriers at UMD.

Needless to say, this caught the attention of many UMD offices, all of whom contacted myself and SGA with a willingness to discuss the issues that I had never seen before whenever I tried to file complaints on my own. Additionally, the President’s Commission on Disability Issues (PCDI) met with Doron, me, and the other students who contributed to the report and asked if we would be willing to begin a Student Advisory Board for the PCDI to help inform them of accessibility issues that they could then advocate about on the behalf of the students. The first meeting of the PCDI Advisory Board will be at the beginning of next semester.

The amount of support we have received from the student body through social media has been unexpected but wonderful, and I love to see how many people have gotten behind this initiative. The goal was to raise awareness about accessibility barriers and make the issues visible to the student body, because once Terps set their mind to something, they follow it through. The point was not to place blame on anyone, simply to bring attention to the issues and get UMD officials to take action and ACTUALLY DO something about the issues, instead of just sitting and talking about doing something. And that is exactly what has happened.

Moving forward, there are many other issues that were not included in the Accessibility Report, because they would’ve made the report much longer than 23 pages, and we feared people wouldn’t read it if it were too long and complex. That being said, minor reports like this one are in the pipeline for next semester, as are a few events to continue raising awareness about accessibility barriers that are invisible to those without disabilities. I truly appreciate and love the support I’ve gotten from my fellow Terps and others, and I just hope we can keep the momentum up and nudge UMD officials into addressing the issues through instead of just talking.

Adith Thummalapalli is a guest writer for QUESTPress this month. He encourages anyone who wants to learn more or to talk about other accessibility barriers to reach out to him at aditht@gmail.com.

QUEST Welcomes Q33 & Q34

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After reviewing 280 applications and interviewing 150+ students this February and March, QUEST welcomed 90 new students to Cohorts 33 and 34! I got a chance to speak with a few of them:

Jack Liang (Q33)

Jack Liang is an aerospace engineering major from Silver Spring. Jack applied to QUEST to branch out of engineering and get to work with people from different majors.

“I’m going to have to learn how to work with and interact with people of different specialties and backgrounds, so why not do it now with an entire cohort of smart, ambitious, and talented people?”

Jack is looking forward to studying abroad and hopes to take BMGT489L: Japan: From Quality Past to Automated Future in his junior year with fellow QUEST students. In his free time, he loves dancing, going to boxing club and sparring with his friends. He is also involved in Theta Tau and currently serves as a Professional Greek Council Representative.

Angela Chien (Q33)

Angela Chien is an incoming member of Cohort 33 majoring in finance and management. Angela wanted to join QUEST because of the great things she heard about it from her friends.

“I like how you form really close friends within this tight-knit environment and learn transferable skills you probably wouldn’t be able to in your other traditional classes.”

Angela is particularly excited for QUEST electives like BMGT408C: Quality Web Development in Business and the study abroad opportunities with QUEST. Angela enjoys traveling and has lived in four different places. Outside of school, she likes binge-watching shows on Netflix and hanging out with her friends. She’s also involved in Sigma Psi Zeta, a sorority on campus, and the Taiwanese American Student Association.

Morgan Hoffman (Q34)

Morgan Hoffman is a mechanical engineering major from Baltimore. Morgan applied to QUEST to get the opportunity to learn and apply business skills to help real companies.

“I’m most looking forward to meeting everyone in my cohort and being able to work and learn with students from outside the engineering school in multidisciplinary teams.”

Morgan likes hiking and spending time outside, especially as the weather gets warmer. Over the summer she is backpacking for 3 weeks in Europe with her roommate. They plan on traveling to 9 different countries. Outside of her engineering classes, Morgan is in Engineering World Health and pledging Theta Tau, a professional engineering fraternity.

Advaith Bantval (Q34)

Advaith Bantval is an incoming member of Cohort 34 majoring in engineering. Advaith applied to QUEST to have the opportunity to work with people of different backgrounds.

“I think there’s a huge benefit in diversity within teams, and that’s the kind of community QUEST nurtures because it adds an extra level of diversity that I wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to in my engineering classes. Through QUEST, I can interact with business and CMNS students too.”

Advaith is looking forward to the teamwork aspect of the classes and getting to work with professional partners. He’s also excited for the study abroad opportunities within QUEST and learning about business and technology in unique environments. Outside of school, Advaith likes hanging out with friends, trying new foods, and listening to music. He has played percussion all his life and enjoys international relations, policy and debate. On campus, he is involved in Theta Tau, Coffeehouse Debate, and Model Congress.

Mina Shahmirzadi (Q34)

Mina Shahmirzadi is a business major from Rockville, Maryland. Mina applied to QUEST because she wanted to find a community of like-minded and motivated students. She also wants to expand her network and interact with people outside of the business school.

“I really want to take the ‘Doing Business in Asia’ elective over one of my winter terms. It seems like a unique opportunity to learn about a new culture while bonding with my QUEST peers.”

Outside of school, Mina likes to play soccer and plays on an intramural team. She is also a member of Alpha Xi Delta, a sorority on campus, and is looking to run for a leadership position within the organization next year.

Congrats to all of our newly admitted QUESTees!

Worlds Collide Again Between QUEST & ODK

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[Left to right] Jess Roffe, Ari Riske (Q29), Doron Tadmor (Q29), Josh Cocker (Q27), and David Rosenstein (Q29) at the ODK Induction on April 7, 2019

QUEST is excited to announce that yet again our students and staff have been inducted into the University of Maryland’s Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Sigma Circle National Leadership Honors Society. Congratulations to staff member Jess Roffe and students Josh Cocker (Q27), Praneeth Chandu (Q29), and David Rosenstein (Q29) who were chosen to join ODK this semester! This organization connects the students, faculty, and staff who best represent and achieve in the five areas of collegiate activities: Scholarship; Athletics; Journalism, Speech, and the Mass Media; the Creative and Performing Arts; and Campus or Community Service, Social, and Religious Activities. Thus, these people help to frame and mold ODK into a society that joins leaders with local and intercollegiate interest. Because of ODK’s generosity and contribution to UMD, each member has the additional privilege of “leaving their mark” on our university through inscribing their name on the ODK McKeldin Mall Fountain.

Jess Roffe was nominated by ODK and QUEST member Jeff Zhao (Q28). I asked Jeff what compelled him to nominate Jess. “I was thinking about influential people and key champions who made my experience at college something special, and the amount of people who fit in this category is no more than the number of fingers I have on one hand. A great leader creates greater leaders, and Jess Roffe helps foster University of Maryland’s greatest leaders in the QUEST community. I wanted to recognize her for her contributions.”

Jess responded to this, explaining, “It really meant a lot that Jeff nominated me. I really feel like a Terp for life. I grew up wanting to attend UMD, went to UMD, left for one year for grad school – even though I didn’t want to leave – and then returned to UMD five years ago to work for QUEST. Being able to have my name on the fountain is really exciting for me – not only am I a Terp for life, but I am also now a Terp forever. It was so special to be nominated by a QUEST student, as well as inducted with and by QUEST students.”

Similar to Jess, David Rosenstein said, “As excited as I am to join the ODK Sigma Circle, nothing could have made the induction or tapping ceremonies more special since I was surrounded by my QUEST family. It’s humbling to be included by leaders in the ODK community, but I’m elated even more by the fact that I can surround myself with these driven, intelligent change-makers every day just by sitting in the QUEST lab.”

Josh Cocker also said that he “feels extremely honored to have been inducted, especially alongside such a talented cohort of students like this one. It also came at a nice time with graduation right around the corner because it capped up some of the really amazing experiences I’ve had at University of Maryland with groups like QUEST and Engineering Without Borders.”

Lastly, Praneeth Chandu also said it was an “honor to be selected among many amazing individuals that are working hard to make a difference at UMD. It was exciting to be inducted into this organization before I finished my time on campus.”

Again, let’s congratulate Jess, David, Josh, and Praneeth on this honorable and momentous achievement! QUEST is very proud of you and looks forward to watching the continuous changes you bring to UMD and our society as a whole.  QUEST has a long-standing presence within ODK, and we cannot wait to see which QUEST members will join ODK in future semesters!

QUEST Duo Succeeds in Lockheed Martin Case Competition

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A. James Clark School of Engineering students Melissa Maurer (Q29) and Olivia Wolcott (Q30) took on Lockheed Martin’s Ethics in Engineering case competition in February and came out of the experience with a ton of new insight and third place! Out of the 14 teams that participated, Melissa and Olivia were 1 of 4 teams selected to move to the final round after going through three rounds of judging. I had the opportunity to chat with them about their success and takeaways from the experience.

The Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering case competition is a process that began in December. In January, teams received their case and had three weeks to analyze its contents. At the end of this three-week period, teams began the four-round process. Olivia and Melissa had to deliver a 90-second elevator pitch, a 10-minute presentation on the ethical engineering and business issues of the case, a 25-minute slide presentation incorporating their solution, and lastly, a 25-minute presentation with intermittent Q&A from the judges. Despite having never done an ethics competition or taken an ethics course before, both ladies were eager to take on the challenge.

Melissa Maurer (left) and Olivia Wolcott (right) at the competition

They found that one key takeaway from the experience was how to utilize all the resources available to them. They added that the main reason why the competition was manageable was because they were able to spend so much time working on it. With that being said, Melissa and Olivia were able to learn a great deal from Dr. Armstrong, their mentor, and two QUEST students who participated in the competition last year, Brooke Nesselt and Conrad Hong.  Both mentioned that they truly appreciated all of the help they received – specifically Dr. Armstrong, who would free up her schedule at any time to help in whatever way she could.

Though the government contracting case they were given allowed them to step a bit out of their comfort zone, both Melissa and Olivia found that taking on such a problem with low-stakes was really enjoyable and provided them with real-world exposure to what a problem like that would entail in a professional setting.

Overall, they emphasized that it ultimately was okay going into something not knowing a lot, but learning it all as you go. Going out of your comfort zone, taking the risk, and asking for help were three crucial skills that they prioritized throughout the process.

“The more effort you give beyond what is required, the more you can set yourself apart.”

Olivia and Melissa are interested in pursuing other case competitions in the future and the QUEST community looks forward to celebrating all of the amazing things they do next. Congratulations to you both!

Q30’s Europe Takeover

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The chance to pick up, move to another country, and return a few months later without any consequences does not present itself often. Through study abroad comes the opportunity to experience many new cultures and see the world while continuing your education.

As we know through our enhanced social media feeds this semester, many members from Q30 have embarked on this journey this semester. I checked in with some of them to learn about their most recent travels, favorite moments thus far, and how their semester has been overall! Needless to say, from awesome pictures taken beneath the Eiffel Tower or on a gondola in Venice to the ultimate foodie snaps of paella and gelato, ten Q30 members are living their best lives across Europe!

Nikhil and Barret (first two on the left)
Jake in Paris

Tamara Lee, Josh Lurie, Lauren Kim, Alexandra Bergman, Barret Rus, Nick Zahneis, Juhi Rajgopal, Nikhil Modi, Jacob Wurman, and Rachel Rosenthal are spread across Rome, London, Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester. They have trekked across Europe, hitting new cities each weekend and even crossing paths a few times. Tamara recalled a weekend in Lisbon, Portugal:

“I was on top of the Castelo de Sao Jorge a few weekends ago. This random girl came up to me and here is how the dialogue went:
– Random girl: “Hey can you take a Boomerang of me and my friends?”

Juhi and Tamara in Portugal

– Me: “Yeah, sure of course.” Looking down at her phone in my hands.
– Random girl: “Wait… Tamara?!?!”
– Me: “Wait…. Juhi?!?!?”

– And that is how I ran into my fellow Q30 peer. Here is a picture to prove it.”

Being abroad, the students have gotten to take really cool classes, both in the scope of their majors and beyond. Barret is taking a “bunch of out of the box classes like tourism, food/water crises, and open innovation.” Alex is learning Spanish as well as taking classes about international economics and art.

Alex Bergman

With hopping to a new city every weekend, our QUEST students have definitely found their favorites! Jake absolutely loved Venice and said, “There’s really no place like it. The entire island is alleyways filled with all sorts of small shops, and then you also have the canals to get around. [He] went during Carnival and got to see some festivities that go along with that. It’s a unique and beautiful place.” Barret’s favorite place is Bratislava in Slovakia. He told me that “some friends and [him] walked there from Vienna, and it turned out to be super under the radar city with great sights and food.” Alex loved visiting Girona, a city about two hours north of Barcelona. Fun fact – part of Game of Thrones was filmed there!!

While everyone has had a different favorite city, the general consensus after chatting with lots of Q30 is that the food anywhere and everywhere abroad is amazing. Lauren, who is studying in London visited Nikhil and Barret, both of whom are studying in Vienna, and recalls eating Viennese schnitzel all together — perhaps the largest meal of her life. Alex’s favorite part about being abroad is the “tapas, paella, and sangria.”

Lauren Kim in Paris

Being abroad has been an awesome adventure for everyone so far! They’ve become experts on booking the best Airbnbs and last minute trips to places like Eidenberg. They’ve grown to be more curious and willing to try new things while embarking on spontaneous adventures like running across London to a famous flower shop. They’ve even found a place for their QUEST minds time and time again whether it be discussing six sigma in an international business course or problem solving traveling unfamiliar cities when their phone service cuts out.

While Q30 members abroad are planning their upcoming weekend trips, they are wishing Q29 good luck as they push through 490H! Jake says, “Good luck on your projects! I wish I could be there to watch your presentations. Instead I’ll be hiking in Cinque Terre” and for spring break, Alex says, “Hang in there my dudes, you got this. I’ll have some sangria waiting for the Q29ers joining me in Barcelona for spring break!”

Winter Break: QUEST Style!

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Would you rather be sitting by the fire, drinking hot chocolate, and staring out of the icy window of your snow-coated ski lodge? Or, would you prefer lounging lazily on the beach, book in hand, working on perfecting your winter-tan? I know what I would rather do – but let’s see what the QUESTees did on their winter breaks!  

Jack Sturtevant (Q29)

Jack Sturtevant, Q29, was still studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark during his winter break. Jack said, “I went to so many Christmas, or as the Danish call it Juul, markets during winter break. I remember walking down Nyhavn, Lagkagehuset cinnamon roll and tea in hand, looking around at all the colorful houses. I didn’t want to go home!”

Olivia Wolcott, Q30, went on a cruise with her family and friend to Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize City, and Cozumel! “My favorite part was in Belize City where they picked us up from the cruise ship in a small boat and took us out to a tiny island called Rendezvous, which bordered a barrier reef. We went snorkeling off the coast of the island – it looked like a saltwater aquarium! I had never seen such beautiful fish or live coral in the ocean before! It was definitely a winter break to remember!”

Olivia Wolcott (Q30)

Puneeth Bikkumanla, Q29, flew home to Hyderabad, India during break and went on vacation to Bali and Singapore! “My favorite part of the vacation was Bali. What I liked most about Bali was how it was relatively untouched by technology. This allowed for some really amazing experiences such as visiting a temple on the side of a volcano, taking surf lessons, and going white-water rafting for 10kms. Back at home in Hyderabad, I reconnected with my roots by visiting historic landmarks such as the Charminar, meeting family and friends, and of course, eating lots of biryani!”

Puneeth Bikkumanla (Q29)

Garrett Allen, Q27, went to California this winter break! “My three friends and I left the cold Maryland weather for a week and flew to Carlsbad, CA, which is just on the outskirts of San Diego. We went on some beautiful hikes – the scenery was definitely my favorite part. I also had a great time surfing at the beaches.”

Garret Allen (Q27)

Dr. Bailey said, “During winter break, I went up to Massachusetts where my sister lives to spend time with my family. Also, I chaired the search committee to bring on QUEST Program Coordinator Rachel DiDonna.”

Both the faculty and students of QUEST seemed to have an eventful break! While we all enjoyed those five, worry-free weeks, it’s now back to work! Only three more weeks until spring break!

QUEST Student Takes on Technica with Her QUEST 190H Project

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Last semester, QUEST Cohort 31 was challenged with creating innovating and impactful new technologies to tackle an important issue for the bits-based project. One member of Q31, Samantha Pearlstein, decided to take her team’s project, a mobile application called “Neuron,” to the next level by developing it during the University of Maryland’s annual Technica Hackathon.

Technica is the largest all-women Hackathon in the United States and is held every year on UMD’s campus. Over the course of 24 hours, students work on small teams to create and develop an innovative hack or application. At the end, a ceremony is held to celebrate the winners of the Hackathon and the hard work that all the teams put in over the course of the event.

Sam’s team consisted of herself and three other UMD students: Sriv Parameswaran, Angela Pan, and Renee Yang. They used an ionic framework (a development tool that can easily translate between a mobile application and a website) to design and create an interface that focused on user experience, as well as back-end functionalities such as data storage. After a long, sleepless night consisting of coding (and a box of Cheerios), the team ultimately won the award for “Best Hack for Community Building.” Nextdoor, the company that sponsors the prize, plans to feature the project on their blog in the coming months.

The project, first designed in Sam’s 190H class, is named “Neuron,” giving nod to its focus on mental health issues and the importance of personal connections and communication. According to Sam, “Neuron strives to connect neurotypical and atypical people through dialogue and communication in order to end the stigma surrounding mental health.” The app’s interface allows people to contribute stories about their experiences with mental health, either as someone who has been diagnosed with a mental health condition or as a supporter and loved one of someone who has. It aims at building a network community of individuals to help inform and support people both with and without mental health conditions.

Sam, a sophomore Computer Science major from Danville, California, currently has plans to intern as a Security Engineer at Cisco over the summer. After college, she hopes to blend the technical skills she is developing through her CS coursework with the business and management skills she has learned through QUEST. She plans to work at a tech company and keep developing projects that will make a difference in her community. She credits QUEST with helping her learn how to rely on other people and develop interpersonal and professional skills that are important to her future career.

Sam felt very connected to the project after doing research on the topic of mental health in her 190H class and realizing how important and prevalent the issue is in her community. As she puts it, “Creating an app like this could really make a difference in people’s lives so I decided to actually try to make it happen.” With the help of her QUEST team, she was able to find an issue that she was passionate about and come up with an innovative solution. With the help of Technica, she was able to bring it to life.

Israel Discovered, Lots More Uncovered

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Thinking critically, communicating effectively, and developing empathy are important skills to have as students in QUEST. Similarly, Israel Discovered values these abilities as well.

Israel Discovered is a trip that takes 25 community leaders from the University of Maryland to Israel and Palestinian territories to explore and better understand the situation. For twelve days, the students learn about Israel’s diversity, take part in intense conversations, and debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Four student leaders in QUEST, Doron Tadmor, Ankit Sheth, Joyce Zhou, and David Rosenstein from Q29, were part of the group over winter break. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a touchy subject for many, and as a result, the band-aid solution seems to be avoidance. After reflecting on her time, Joyce said that “sometimes it is easier to just put up barriers and stay in your comfort zone than get to know someone with a different perspective than yours.” With that, during the trip, students were definitely pushed beyond their comfort zone and as Doron put it, ultimately realized that “the conflict in the region is way more complex than meets the eye.”

The group of students that were on Israel Discovered.

Everyone has a different walk of life, and in turn, develops different perspectives. It is this that Ankit says “shapes narratives.” He added that “the story is not really the story but one story told by one person’s eyes.” Adding to that, David noted that one person’s truth and facts will be perceived as simply an opinion by someone else. This in and of itself was the value in bringing a diverse group of student leaders from across campus with different ideas and stories to tell.

Q29 is very tightly bound and the opportunity to share such a special place with each other definitely resonated with everyone, especially Doron and David, both of whom had visited Israel in the past. For Doron, Shabbat dinners with Israeli family hosts were a fun and memorable way to share his culture with friends. David appreciated the fact that he got to share parts of Jerusalem that are important to him while getting to see friends of different faiths visit these landmarks for the first time. When the students were not discussing heavy topics, they shared a lot of fun times together: soaking in the Dead Sea, chatting with a tech consultant in Palestine, and eating some of the best food in the world.

With more than 15% of the students coming from QUEST, QUEST themes definitely shined throughout the trip. Doron found himself empathizing and using multiple perspectives to best understand the conflict and to propose solutions that would serve many. In considering these perspectives, Ankit noted, “Beyond the data and the statistics, there are stories that need to be heard.” David made use of the 5-Whys learned in 190H to “get to the deep root of why someone feels the way that they do.”

Time and time again, it is proven that QUEST is full of students that are deep thinkers and leaders. Israel Discovered seeks these kinds of leaders, and more broadly, anyone that loves long discussions and exchanging opinions. Put beautifully by Joyce, “Intertwined with the physical traveling were stories of the people living in the region and while the trip was quick, it was a comprehensive dive into Israel, it’s beauty and its struggles.” Now, these students are back at UMD and are ready to have difficult conversations to bring positive change.

Two Worlds Colliding: 8 QUESTees Tapped into ODK

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Omicron Delta Kappa, better known as ODK, is the National Leadership Honor Society with a chapter at the University of Maryland. Membership in the organization is a great honor and is bestowed upon students with outstanding leadership. The most recent UMD induction took place on December 2nd, and we are very excited to share that eight of the inductees also belong to the QUEST community. Doron Tadmor, the youngest-ever President of ODK at UMD and a QUEST student in Cohort 29, expressed that ODK has the ability to “bring together a network of leaders across campus into one organization.” Jacob Lapidus (Q27), David Polefrone (Q32), Ari Riske (Q29), Julia Roh (Q27), Barret Rus (Q30), Ankit Sheth (Q29), and Alex Tran (Q27) are the QUEST students who were admitted into ODK this semester. Alongside them, Dr. Joe Bailey was inducted as a faculty member.

ODK, like QUEST, is an amazing community of people who push themselves to be their best. Ari from Cohort 29 said, “I feel like I have always surrounded myself with people who are stronger, smarter, and more insightful than I am which pushes me to consistently grow. It feels incredible to be inducted into such a prestigious organization with so many diversified leaders who can teach me so much.” ODK is an organization that has a great mix of people. Current ODK member Nikhil Modi (Q30) emphasizes the amazing network of peers that exist within the program. Nikhil urges the inductees to “learn as much as they can from the experiences of other talented leaders around them.”

It may seem like a funny coincidence that so many QUEST members were admitted into ODK. However, the inductees attest that there is actually great parallel between both organizations. Julia Roh from Cohort 27 feels that “QUEST students are some of the most passionate and intelligent students [she] has met.” Another inductee, Jacob Lapidus (Q27), told me that “QUEST ranked among the top activities in the ODK application, and the exposure to different types of thinkers, teams, and projects definitely contributed to [Jacob’s] confidence as a leader.” Nikhil feels that at their cores, ODK and QUEST are working towards the same goal. He says, “Members of ODK are leaders on campus who work relentlessly to improve their own organizations, bringing them from a current state to a more ideal state.”

All of the students in the QUEST program recognize Dr. Bailey as a true leader and as someone who has put the QUEST community’s interests first, time and time again. To be inducted, side by side, with such a motivating and inspiring figure in QUEST was very exciting for the new ODK members. Barret from Q30 said, “It was a pretty unique experience considering [Dr. Bailey] is the one who imparts knowledge onto us through 390H… He is a real testament to how well the guild prepares students for success inside and outside of the classroom.” On a similar note, Ari feels like Dr. Bailey “pushes us all to think about what we are capable of. Of course, he has also achieved an incredible amount in his lifetime and serves as a personal role model… He embodies every pillar of ODK, exemplifying what many of us should aim to be more like.”

ODK as an organization has a very positive impact on campus. Ankit from Cohort 29 feels empowered to have another platform for him to use to make a change. Previously, Ankit “looked up to the people who are in ODK as they have served as role models, mentors, and great friends” and now he is happy to be one of them. When I asked Alex Tran for advice to QUEST students regarding a potential future in ODK, he said something that really stuck with me. Alex said, “Getting tapped should never be the goal. College is too short to spend time doing things just to improve your resume. Find things you love and dive in. Become a leader and focus on leaving the community a better place than when you first saw it. If you can do that, you will without a doubt get tapped.”

Doron feels that having so many QUEST students in ODK “shows how QUEST students are going above and beyond to be leaders and change makers across campus.” It is really amazing and inspiring to see that members of the QUEST community are constantly pushing themselves and pursuing remarkable experiences and achievements. David Polefrone of Q32 says that “becoming a part of ODK is a great reward, but the real benefits of leadership are derived from the connections you make along the way.” Like anything else, the joys of a new journey are just coming about for our QUEST students in ODK, and we wish them all the best! Congrats ODK inductees, we look forward to seeing what the future holds! Keep up the good work!  

Our Graduating QUEST Students

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As the semester winds down, we would like to congratulate the five QUEST seniors graduating this month, Matthew Ambrogi (Q27), Akshay Guthal (Q27), Yufei Huang (Q28), Meena Sengottuvelu (Q28), and Caitlin Thompson (Q28). I had the opportunity to catch up with a few of them before they walk across the stage, taking a pause to reflect on their time in QUEST.

Akshay Guthal

Although he’s graduating this month, you’ll still be able to see Akshay around campus for a while longer as he pursues his Master’s degree in Computer Science. He plans on staying involved with QUESTDev as he and his co-lead, Dan Selzer (Q27), are organizing a hackathon for next semester.

The best trip Akshay’s ever taken was QUEST to Japan. “Being able to explore a foreign country where the culture is so different is such a cool experience,” he said. His favorite memory from the trip was when “a bunch of other students and I were at a marketplace and we were trying as many foreign foods as we could. The craziest one we ended up finding was duck head, and it honestly didn’t end up tasting that bad!”

Akshay also had the opportunity to go on the Silicon Valley trip. “It was super fun because the company visits were all very different. Tesla’s was the coolest because we got to do a full factory tour and see how the cars were being manufactured.”

“I love hanging out in the QUEST Lab and just talking to people who walk in and out about what is going on in their lives, and it’s amazing to see how driven and passionate everyone is about what they’re doing,” Akshay said while reflecting on what he will miss about QUEST. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever be surrounded by people as talented and humble as the people in QUEST.”

Yufei Huang

After traveling to Boston and China for a few weeks, Yufei will settle in California to be a Software Engineer for the Mac PowerPoint team at Microsoft. Attending the QUEST to Silicon Valley trip during her sophomore year contributed to her decision to work there after graduation. The summer following the trip, she interned for Microsoft as an Explorer Intern. She returned to Microsoft last summer to intern with the Software Engineering team, which she will be working with full time this March.

Yufei enjoyed working with BD in her team’s capstone project for 490H and was excited to share their work to the QUEST community at the end of this semester. “My favorite memories would definitely be presenting our hard work and achievements to our cohort,” she said.

She will miss her cohort and the memories they share, but Yufei will also miss the QUEST community as a whole. “I will probably miss QUEST as an environment that is so open to innovation. I feel like none of the real companies will be able to re-assemble this environment.”  

 

Caitlin Thompson

After spending this past summer as a Risk and Compliance Consulting Intern, Caitlin is excited to be joining Protiviti full time as a Consultant after graduation. An Economics major and Statistics minor, Caitlin was involved with QUESTPress during her junior year.

Caitlin’s favorite experience in QUEST was going on the QUEST to Silicon Valley trip in Spring 2017. “I was able to meet students from other cohorts and see how the tools we learn in QUEST are applied to real-world situations at companies in Silicon Valley,” she said. “While we went on site visits to a variety of companies, were also given time to explore San Francisco and meet QUEST alumni in the area.”

Caitlin will miss seeing the friends she has made in QUEST on a daily basis, particularly within Cohort 28. “Being able to work on teams with students in a variety of majors have made me think of the world in a different way, which I do not think I would have learned without QUEST.”

In the future, Caitlin is looking forward to staying involved with QUEST. “I am excited to become part of the QUEST alumni network and stay involved however I can.”