Category Archives: Student Spotlight

QUEST Student and Alumna Team up after Capstone

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Creating a successful startup is no easy task, yet there are several QUEST alumni who have been able to solve problems they are passionate about by creating their own company. A couple examples include Kanchan Singh (Q17), who started a cat café in D.C. called Crumbs and Whiskers, Sahil Rahman (Q17), who co-founded Rasa, an Indian restaurant, and Allan Nicholas (Q20), who created a startup called Sweet Buds that sells scented earring backs that release perfume throughout the day. This article, however, will follow the story of Kajal Pancholi (Q7) and how her aerospace and systems engineering firm, Avatar Technologies, grew and eventually came back to QUEST.

Kajal Pancholi has stayed connected with QUEST even after her graduation. She had sponsored several QUEST Capstone projects through her previous employer, Millennium Engineering and Integration Company, but this time she decided to reach out to partner with QUEST so a team of 490H students could help Avatar Technologies become an ISO 9001 registered company. Kajal said she needed “bright, hardworking, and innovative individuals to augment [her] team and develop tailored quality management tools & techniques for the company’s operations,” and she believed it would be a perfect project for QUEST. Students Dennis Chen, Taylor Joyce, Julia Roh, and Devin Rosen from cohort 27 came together to implement an ISO 9001-compliant Quality Management System so that Avatar Technologies could gain a competitive advantage in its field.

One student on the team, Devin Rosen, really enjoyed working with Avatar Technologies during his time in 490H and consequently returned to Avatar for a summer internship. Devin learned many aspects of technology entrepreneurship and enjoyed his time learning about Avatar with his team and wanted to be able to continue helping Kajal make an impact by getting Avatar Technologies an ISO-9001 certificate. Devin said that there were several differences between working with his team and working with Kajal over the summer, and mentioned that “the biggest difference was going from a group project to an individual endeavor [he] could turn into [his] own.” He also said that he had to absorb a lot more information about the company and about ISO-9001 since his teammates weren’t there to bounce ideas off of over the summer, but that Kajal was a great help in guiding him and teaching him the ins and outs of the Avatar business.

Kajal and Devin represented Avatar Technologies at the QUEST Networking Event in September

Being a math major, Devin mentioned that he was able to utilize his critical thinking and problem solving skills when assessing Avatar’s regular business operations in order to optimize process interactions and design the Quality Management System itself. He wants to tell QUEST students that regardless of the project or the major, people will be appreciative of hard work. He mentioned, “QUEST students make significant impacts” in 490H, and that the class itself encourages students to ask as many questions as possible in order to filter ideas and uncover effective solutions. He also wants to emphasize that students are capable of learning more than they think. After being assigned to his 490H project, Devin said he “learned a lot about ISO-9001 quality management system and that it was nice to prove to [himself] that [he] can jump into something completely foreign, learn all about it, and come up with impactful recommendations.”

Kajal was very appreciative of the work that the team did during 490H and the work Devin did during his time at Avatar since now the quality management system is in place and that all there is left is to call an auditor to get Avatar Technologies certified. She said that there are many benefits working for a smaller scale company for the 490H project since the work students do create a very meaningful impact on a large scale. She also mentioned that “Working with the QUEST students and Devin was both professionally and personally rewarding,” since the project brought back memories of Kajal’s own QUEST experiences and she was able to “use that QUEST knowledge and lessons to be a better-engaged and more resourceful project champion for the student team.”

 

 

QUEST Students Attend Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing

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The Grace Hopper Celebration, recently hosted in Houston, Texas, is “the world’s largest gathering of women technologists,” according to AnitaB.org. It is a major opportunity for women, who are generally underrepresented in the tech industry, to seek job opportunities, attend learning sessions, and connect with others within the field. Over 20,000 women attended the conference this year, and some of our very own QUEST students did as well. Sasha Miller (Q29), Jacqueline Deprey (Q30), and Neha Satapathy (Q30) got to fly to Houston for the expo featuring over five hundred companies set up by the Anita Borg Foundation.

QUEST Members Jacqueline Deprey (Q30) (starting second from left), Sasha Miller (Q29), and Neha Satapathy (Q30).

While the conference has a very technical base, the conversations to be had were very enriching beyond the obvious deliverables. Q30’s Jacqueline attended a session comparing careers in software engineering and project management. Jacqueline got to see what each of the career paths looked like beyond their surface titles and past the stereotypes. After reflecting on the conference, Sasha learned the most while listening to a talk given by Emily Chang, the author of Brotopia. Emily’s message and Sasha’s biggest takeaway was that “women can’t fear away from intimidation of men (especially in Silicon Valley) and women have to continue to break the norms in tech to change the future.”

Being that the three women featured in this article are also QUEST members, they definitely noticed QUEST playing a role in their time at the conference. The overarching sentiment was a sense of gratitude towards QUEST as ideals and projects from QUEST panned out to be great talking points during interviews. Recruiters were consistently impressed by the advanced team-based work that the QUEST students had. Jacqueline really felt that QUEST was also helpful in strengthening soft skills to be used for the casual networking events that followed conference socials.

To get involved with future Grace Hopper Celebrations and even just to grow a network amongst women in computing, joining the Maryland Center for Women in Computing (MCWIC) is a great place to start. They not only provide a plethora of resources here on campus, but they also awarded scholarships to send women from Maryland to the conference. Jacqueline says that she “100% would recommend attending…[she] gained advice that helped shape the direction [she] wants to take [her] professional career in, networked with inspirational industry leaders, and even obtained several job offers.” On a similar note, Sasha said, “I would recommend this to all females in tech. It is a once in a lifetime experience that provides you with such unique opportunities. You’ll meet great people, be challenged intellectually, and have amazing offers come out of it!”

The trip was full of meaningful highlights for our QUEST students. Getting to meet so many new people and having the chance to learn so much in such a brief time was exciting! Sasha loved getting to develop stronger connections with UMD’s community of computer science females that she did not know before the conference. Furthermore, she feels like “[she] gained a positive mindset… being around such influential and powerful women in tech made [Sasha] feel incredibly empowered.” From traveling and rooming together to attending company sponsored socials and celebrating the adventure, the conference was an all-around fantastic experience. Long term, the Anita Borg Foundation hopes to create a more level and equal platform within the tech field, and it is definitely fair to say that Sasha, Jacqueline, and Neha left with not only a polished understanding of the tech world but also with memories to last through their careers in tech and beyond.

 

QUEST Students Team Up for Radio Show, Play Ball

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If you’re a die-hard sports fan, or simply want to learn more about what goes on, Akshay Guthal (Q27) and Michael Vetter (Q28) are now “on-air” to talk about the latest and greatest sports news through their own radio show, Play Ball.  The newbies were recruited this semester by their good friend Dylan D’Andrea, who previously hosted the show solo. Every Tuesday at 7pm, they meet up to discuss a variety of sports and “what’s big.”

Michael and Akshay at a Capitals game

Dylan, a journalism major, created Play Ball as a way to set time aside to chat about his passion. For Akshay and Michael, the feeling was mutual. The show allows them to take a break from the chaos of the week, research current sports events, and debate over some of their favorite topics.

“We mainly do it for fun, and we’re all good friends,” Michael noted. “It’s basically just bringing the conversation that we have behind closed doors, on air.”

Despite being huge sports fans, talking over radio is definitely an adjustment from casually debating with some friends. When asked about the transition, Akshay added, “I’ve never done anything like this before with people listening to what I say. I was a little nervous.” Having a conversation through a public, live medium is a bit odd, and both Akshay and Michael mentioned some of the challenges they have faced in the past couple weeks.

For example, when it comes to a radio show, hosts always need to have something to say. There can be no silence, regardless of whether or not someone already touched on a point. The content of what is said also needs to be a bit filtered because each comment is no longer private. When providing sports commentary, the debate can get a bit competitive, and both emphasized that it is important to remember in the end that they are a team.

“In a sense, you are talking about a competition so naturally you become competitive talking about it. At the same time, you are talking with your cohosts, so you need to remember that you are giving a show together.”

Though there are some challenges, the show has been beneficial for improving communication skills. When talking to a live audience, Akshay and Michael have learned to speak better and focus more. Responses to questions and general conversation become more concise, so rambling or redundancy is avoided.

Overall, Play Ball has been a great hobby for the pair of seniors. When asked about any advice they would give to students considering starting a radio show, both were very encouraging. Michael says, “Just do it. Don’t think about it too much, and be yourself. Make sure your radio show is on something you’re passionate and knowledgeable about.”

If you’re looking to start your own sports radio show, you can go to WMUCsports.net and email the address provided to request your own prime time. The radio shows are on the internet rather than on FM radio, so it is easier to reserve a spot. You can tune into Play Ball at ter.ps/playball!

QUEST Students Make an Impact Over the Summer

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By: Rohan Mishra (Q32)

Summer break is an extremely productive time for many of the students in QUEST. Many students
spend their summer gaining experience in the real world by pursuing internships. Considering the wide
variety of majors that QUEST covers, it was inevitable that students represent a diverse array of
industries through their internships. Many students from the QUEST community experienced some
unique opportunities.

Jacqueline Deprey, a Computer Science and Operations Management and Business Analytics double
major from Cohort 30, interned at Leidos over the summer. Leidos is an American company with
footprints in the industries of defense, aviation, information technology and biomedical research.
Jacqueline was a software engineering intern at the Gaithersburg office in Maryland. Her duties included
designing, testing, and debugging software to better monitor air traffic control centers’ databases
nationwide. Her main responsibility was building an automation tool that processed Mongo database
information and displayed warning messages to facilitate administrative processes. When asked about
how her experiences with QUEST impacted her, she said, “My team at Leidos implemented the agile
development process we learned about in 190H, and we had daily scrums and monthly sprints, just like we
learned about in QUEST.”

Jacqueline (front, center) during her internship

In addition, she used the design thinking process on a regular basis when working with the system administrators as she had to empathize with them to best define the problem, create potential solutions, and test them to figure out what best met their needs. QUESTDev initially introduced her to working with Mongo Databases, which she then worked more in depth with over the course of her internship. Jacqueline also benefited from having several of her cohort-mates work in the same office and says that seeing them was a welcome sight. She was also able to network with other QUEST alumni at Leidos and learn more from them about their experiences with Leidos. With respect to learning from the internship, she mentioned, “I learned I am most passionate about projects when I get to work directly with the client, learn about their problems first-hand and find the best solution to meet their needs.”

Adam Hostetter, an Operations Management and Business Analytics major from Cohort 29 interned at
General Electric Healthcare in Milwaukee. The company develops healthcare technological solutions for
medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease
research, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Adam worked at their HQ over the
summer, as part of the Commercial Leadership Program internship – an internship that is a pipeline into
marketing/sales for medical devices. This internship is extremely prestigious, and Adam was one of only
22 students selected for it from the entire country. Adam was focused primarily on working on two
internal consulting projects for the summer. He says his time with QUEST helped him a lot, adding, “It
was really interesting to see some of the ideologies we talked about in QUEST put into practice at
GEHC.” He benefited immensely from the experience and mentions that there were a bunch of
opportunities for co-growth and teamwork. He says GE really values learning and development, they
even have a whole day dedicated to research called GE Learning day, where you can’t send emails or
schedule meetings. He sums up his experience as “an opportunity to be constantly pushed out of my
comfort zone, with all the right people and tools to find my own way and succeed.”

Adam at the GE Healthcare headquarters

Nadine Eloseily, an International Business and Government and Politics double major from Cohort 29
interned with the Egyptian Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation over the summer.
More specifically, she was working with the senior adviser to the minister. She was the only intern for
the majority of the summer, so her role varied with the requirements of the office. Tasks that she did
throughout the summer included conducting research and building reports on a number of topics that the senior adviser wanted to venture into, editing talking points for the Minister to use in her meetings with the UN and creating profiles discussing the donor relationship between Egypt and other nations (such as Japan) for internal use within the ministry (called donor profiles). With regards to how QUEST prepared her for her internship, she says, “A lot of the design elements and professionalism that QUEST teaches in 190H was very helpful throughout my internship.”

Nadine in Egypt

What she learned from the internship was very meaningful, as she received insight from the work she did in that professional environment and took away lessons that would serve her over the rest of her career. She summarizes her experience by saying, “I was put into a lot of situations that were outside my comfort zone this summer, but I did my best to make the most of the resources around me and found that I had a very rewarding and interesting experience!”

Varsha Ramachandran, a double major in Operations Management & Business Analytics and
International Business from Cohort 31, interned for the University Process Innovation team at UMD’s
Division of IT. The UPI team focuses on the strategic business processes of the university and how they
relate to the underpinning information technology. Varsha worked as a Business Process Analyst, where
she worked to improve the technological processes at UMD. Tasks she performed included identifying
best practices at other Big 10 schools through interviews, creating data representations using Tableau,
and documenting her findings through writing one-pagers and creating swimlane diagrams. Varsha
found out about the position from a QUEST email and decided to apply as she had prior experience in
the field of higher education. She thinks the experience helped prepare her to officially join QUEST,
saying, “I am now well-equipped to handle the communicative aspect of QUEST: conducting interviews,
creating presentations, and drafting professional reports.” Her role has also helped her garner more
technical knowledge and skills in statistical software and industry practices. She describes her entire
experience as, “I learned that all business solutions require thoughtful analysis of both the data and the people involved. I learned that it’s just as important to listen and spend time with your clients as it is to
accurately and effectively manipulate and present raw data.”

Experiences like these are at the core of what being a college student is about. The chance to be able to
apply your skills in the real world is crucial, and it is clear that students from QUEST are especially well
prepared to contribute in professional environments.

The Beauty of Open Barre and Following Your Passions

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Lauren Filocco (Q17) did not always see herself operating a Barre Studio out of College Park, MD. If you had asked her about her plans for the near future a couple years earlier, she might have expressed interest in moving up the pipeline at McCormick and continuing down the path of a procurement specialist. That might have been the decision one would have expected her to make, but all it took was a Groupon for a barre class to change her entire perspective on life, career goals, and happiness.

Before barre and McCormick, Lauren was working operations at Amazon in Middletown, DE immediately after graduation. It was not the most glamorous role, but she learned a lot and was able to leverage her QUEST connections and secure a role at McCormick a couple years later.

At McCormick, she worked primarily on the negotiation side and handled procurement discussions with different suppliers. Looking back on her time there she laughs, considering the fact that her mother always said her penchant for arguing made her a perfect fit for the role.

While she was working at McCormick, she decided to buy a Groupon for a barre class with her mother. Before she knew it, she was spending all of her time after work at the studio and jumped on the opportunity to take other classes after the Groupon ended. As she began to spend more and more time at barre, it slowly dawned on her that even though she loved McCormick, barre was something that could truly fulfill her passions.

She discussed the idea of opening a barre studio with her fiancée and worked on a business plan with studio owners that she had come to know during her many classes. Her colleagues at McCormick were incredibly supportive during the entire process, allowing her to remain on the staff as a contractor during the period of turbulence brought about by the opening of her studio.

In February 2017, the studio finally opened, and she had a new challenge that was equal parts frightening and exciting. When asked about her biggest takeaway from her journey, she said, “I thrive on the little successes. When a client tells me that their son hugged them and felt how hard their stomach was I know it’s because they’ve been taking my classes seriously, and I know that no matter how small I’m contributing to making the world better and making people feel better about themselves.”

Last month, Lauren hosted an open barre session for the QUEST community that was very well received. A few choice quotes are listed below:

“I liked the studio a lot. It had a welcoming, homey vibe. Also, my thighs burned like they’ve never burned before.” – Alex Malek (Q25)

“I love group fitness classes and thought it would be a fun way to interact with the QUEST community outside of the usual classroom setting.” – Kayla Sukri (Q25)

“The instructor always had a smile on her face! Even when we were doing some really demanding routines she was super bright and full of energy. It helped me get through with a smile on my face by the end.” – Edward Morozov (Q25)

It’s clear that Lauren has found her passion and is quickly impacting her community in the best way possible. Her advice to those still figuring things out is to think about what you enjoy outside of work. If there’s a way to turn it into a career, then you should at least consider. Don’t restrict yourself from pursuing your passions without thinking about it first!

QUEST Well Represented at Innovate Maryland

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On April 11th, 2018, The Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship hosted their annual Innovate Maryland event. The event recognizes innovative and entrepreneurial students from across campus and almost 30 QUEST students were nominated for this year’s awards. We were able to interview four QUEST students who were nominated and attended the event!

How did it feel to be nominated for Innovate Maryland?

Chineme Obiefune (25): It felt cool to be nominated. I was invited because I participated in the QUEST/IBM Design Challenge last semester so it was pretty unexpected but very much appreciated.
Bryan Varghese (26): It was great to be nominated for Innovate Maryland! I didn’t know what Innovate Maryland was before being nominated, but I glad was nominated. It felt nice to be recognized for my accomplishments in the IBM Design Challenge.
Chloe Berman (Q26): I was actually surprised to be nominated to attend Innovate Maryland. I know we get to do some pretty cool work as a part of QUEST, but I guess I never quite realized how the work we were doing could be seen as innovative. However, I was very excited to be able to attend this event.
Brianna Ho (Q29): Being nominated for Innovate Maryland was honestly a surprise. Having been nominated for a project (IBM Design Challenge) that was finished several months ago, it was nice to get back in touch with my other team members after a while and meet up with them again.

How did it feel to be amongst other distinguished students and faculty?

Chineme Obiefune (Q25): There were a lot of really cool startups there so it was inspiring to be around so many people that were pursuing their passions. I could tell that they were all serious about making a difference and changing lives.
Bryan Varghese (Q26): It was a great way to interact with other distinguished students and faculty. I felt honored to be included among these really accomplished and passionate students and faculty.
Chloe Berman (Q26): It felt very special to be surrounded by such distinguished students and faculty. I was impressed to learn about all the innovation happening in the community around me, so much of which I had no idea existed. It is inspiring being in an environment full of such talented, driven individuals, and it inspired and encouraged me to continue looking for ways to be innovative in my future.
Brianna Ho (Q29): The whole environment of the event was also pretty unexpected and honestly much fancier than I’d thought it’d be. Being surrounded by all of these great startups and being able to mingle with not only students but also professors and faculty was a nice experience. The entire ambience of the place just fostered a feeling of wanting to do something.

What was your favorite part about the event?

Chineme Obiefune (Q25): My favorite part was the showcase portion where you got to see the different startup founders and talk to them about their work.
Bryan Varghese (Q26): My favorite part about the event was talking to the different startups. It ranged from multiplayer VR video gaming companies to drone building companies. It was so diverse, and it was interesting to understand how they started and made it to where they are today.
Chloe Berman (Q26): My favorite part of the event was being able to speak to colleagues from various programs I am either currently in or have participated in at my time at Maryland, as well as meeting new people and learning about how they are innovating here at Maryland.
Brianna Ho (Q29): My favorite part of the event was actually watching the awards ceremony. Seeing what was going on around campus and how innovative these students and faculty were being right under my nose was so surprising. The videos they played demonstrating each project were awesome.

How did it feel to have so many other QUEST students there with you?

Chineme Obiefune (Q25): It was nice to know that QUEST students are so involved in the innovation spaces on campus. It definitely made me feel proud to know that the program contributed to the entrepreneurial mindset at Maryland.
Bryan Varghese (Q26): I was really proud of QUEST for having so many students at the Innovate Maryland event. The most surprising thing was that half of the QUEST students weren’t invited because of QUEST, but because of other activities like challenges, running their own courses, EIP, and so on. It just shows how active QUEST students are throughout UMD.
Chloe Berman (Q26): I loved seeing how well QUEST was represented was at the Innovate Maryland event! QUEST has been such an amazing program, and it was rewarding to see so many of my peers amongst those who are driving innovation at UMD.
Brianna Ho (Q29): Seeing them around just brought me joy because it reminded me how great and impactful the QUEST community is.

How has QUEST helped you be innovative and/or entrepreneurial?

Chineme Obiefune (Q25): QUEST has instilled a design thinking mindset in me that pushes me to understand the people around me and gather insights to solve the problems that impact them.
Bryan Varghese (Q26): QUEST has definitely taught me to be more innovative. I have learned about different perspectives, different brainstorming techniques, and different management skills. This not only helped me throughout the QUEST curriculum but within my academic and professional career.
Chloe Berman (Q26): QUEST has especially helped develop my skills and capabilities when it comes to being innovative and entrepreneurial. Through QUEST, I was provided the tools and knowledge to be able to tackle problems with a new mindset and to provide uniquely innovative solutions to even the toughest challenges. My entrepreneurial abilities have also been expanded through real-life product innovation challenges and through QUEST alumni who have come back and spoken about their entrepreneurial endeavors.
Brianna Ho (Q29): QUEST for sure has helped me be more innovative and entrepreneurial. I’m nearing the end of 390H right now, and it’s only added to my toolbox that started in 190H. So many concepts that were covered ranging from empathizing with your market to building a business plan are topics that I always keep in mind when starting a new project.

Congratulation to all the QUEST Nominees!
Sam Lewando (26)
Chloe Berman (26)
Alyssa Hu (26)
Bobby Ellett (25)
Conor Casey (27)
Timothy Chen (28)
Cameron Harner (25)
Varun Mohan (28)
Jeffrey Zhao (28)
Chineme Obiefune (25)
Jordan Steiner (26)
Bryan Varghese (26)
Brianna Ho (29)
Adam Sarsony (29)
Kyle Su (30)
Colin SyBing (30)
Derek Xiao (28)
Ankit Sheth (29)
Mingkai Xu (27)
Lauren Kim (30)
Sameera Polavarapu (27)
Didac Hormiga (28)
Brooke Nesselt (27)
Conrad Hong (27)
Adam Hostetter (29)
Didac Hormiga (28)
Brian Freeman (27)
Chad Simon (30)
Meena Sengottuvelu (28)

Goodbye and Good Luck to our QUESTPress Seniors

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Another year here at UMD is coming to a close and so naturally, we are losing some of our seniors to the real world. While we wish them the best, we also wish we had more time to learn from them and share more memories and laughs. With this said, QUESTPress would like to give a big sendoff to our seniors, Chineme Obiefune (Q25), Joe Piscitelli (Q25), Sam Weaver (Q26), and our Editor-in-Chief, Andrew Jones (Q26).

Andrew Jones (Q26)

Andrew is our great Editor-in Chief. He has been a part of QUESTPress for 3 years and has written numerous entertaining articles for the QUEST community. Additionally, Andrew has been involved in QUEST in other ways by being a  mentor for Q30 as well as attending not one, but two QUEST2 trips – to Silicon Valley and to Spain! Looking forward to the summer, Andrew will be traveling around the world (no exaggeration!). He’s going to be in Peru, Thailand, Southeast Asia, and then back to the US to be in New Orleans and Boston! After a busy summer, Andrew will be settling in Tysons Corner to begin work as an Associate Consultant at Appian Corporation.

While thinking about leaving UMD, Andrew will miss all of the experiences he’s had here and the opportunity to participate in so much. He said, “UMD offers so many activities. It can’t compare to any other institution!” QUEST gave Andrew a plethora of great things but what he’ll miss most are the abroad courses and meeting our amazing alumni! Andrew, we’ll miss your support and insights that you would give us at every Sunday meeting.

Chineme, our senior in Q25 has been in QUESTPress for two years but has also mentored 190H and helped out in the scoping class. This summer, Chineme is excited to be outside enjoying the weather but also hanging out with kids by volunteering at a summer camp. What’s really cool is that he’s going to also be working on his music (tune in everyone!!) to develop a skill that he is finally getting some free time to think about.

Chineme Obiefune (Q25)

QUEST is an intense community, full of people who are driven and passionate about what they are learning and Chineme appreciates and will miss it the most. Getting to see his team do amazingly in 190H yet still harness so much growth on the way to 490H was extremely rewarding, especially knowing that he “has had a slight hand in the success.” Chineme, we are going to miss your out of the box ideas for articles and fearlessness when it comes to trying and proposing new things.

Joe had an especially important position for not only QUESTPress but also the newsletter, in that he has been our webmaster and the genius behind figuring out any struggle with the online forums and making sure all of our articles and sites look great. Joe joined QUESTPress immediately after QUEST Camp after a now QUEST alumna, Grace Cha, suggested that people join. After school ends for Joe, he’ll be back in Miami with friends and family but his studying won’t be over as he will be preparing for the CPA exam prior to coming back to the DMV as a Core Assurance Associate for PriceWaterhouse Coopers.

Joe Piscitelli (Q25)

Looking back, Joe will mostly miss the amazing people that he has had the opportunity to meet through QUEST, Smith, and UMD as a whole. Joe says, “I came to UMD knowing absolutely no one else coming here so it was nice to have organizations on campus such as QUEST to make the campus smaller. I’ve met some of the best people I know at UMD.” Memories like simply walking into the QUEST lab to print and bumping into people you don’t expect to see and getting to catch up will stick with Joe for a while. He also loved to check out what new art our fellow QUEST students have up on the walls. Joe, we will miss your great sense of humor and endless help as we struggle through WordPress.

Sam has been in QUESTPress and writing articles for us since her sophomore year. After three years with us, Sam will be joining Lockheed Martin in Dallas. Sam has enjoyed her time with QUEST and says that she’ll miss all of the great events that QUEST has to offer. Being involved and getting to catch up with fellow QUEST peers are what she enjoyed most about QUEST. Sam’s favorite memory followed finally accomplishing the final client presentation in 490H. Her group had gotten through the toughest course for QUEST and to celebrate, Sam said, “My team and I went to Costco for lunch and just hung out and goofed off. Our client really loved our project and capping off that successful presentation with some pizza and ice cream was so satisfying.” Sam, we’ll miss having you over the conference call because you’re doing something cool like getting stuck at home baking bread.

Sam Weaver (Q26)

While we are sad to see you all go, we know you are onto bigger and better things. We look forward to hearing your names in articles not written by you, but rather about you. Thank you for your endless contributions to not only QUESTPress but QUEST as a whole. To you and all of the seniors moving on from our students to our alumni, keep us in mind. Come visit us and share your experiences with us or even let us know how we can be do better in our next QUEST presentation. I’ll leave you with a quote in the spirit of QUEST: “I begin with an idea, and then it becomes something else” – Pablo Picasso. QUEST has trained us to develop brilliant ideas and to take them as far as we can. Keep up the QUEST spirit and remain design thinkers regardless of where you end up because you all have great things to offer and thoughts to share. Best of luck class of 2018! You made it!

 

Noah Vernick Selected for NewDay USA Character Driven Leadership Award

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QUEST student Noah Vernick (Q28) was recently selected for an award through New DayUSA for his efforts and leadership within the club, D4 Athletics, that he has been pioneering this past academic year. I had the chance to sit down with him to get his thoughts on being a recipient of this award.

1) Tell me more about NewDay USA and what the award is for.

NewDay USA is a mortgage company that is focused on supporting veterans. They also promote character driven leadership in companies, organizations, and universities. At UMD, they funded the NewDay USA Character Driven Leadership Award in which there were three categories: NewDay USA Character Driven Leader for Innovation, for Enterprise, and for Resilience. I applied for Innovation which should be awarded to the individual that has an optimistic, infectious vision for the future.

 

Noah (middle) with his award.

2) What allowed you to be selected for this award?

I applied because I believe that my club, D4 Athletics, is a perfect example of my leadership through Innovation. As a sports club, we hope to target students who do not play sports very frequently. All skill levels are welcome and the environment is one that breeds positivity. After being on campus and SGA-recognized for one year, we were starting to build a great presence on campus. It is challenging competing with intramural and club sports, but we hope to hit a larger audience by participating in philanthropy events such as our annual volleyball tournament, A Match for Karen, and our strong relationship with UMD’s Relay for Life. My efforts in building an organization to provide students opportunity to stay active and meet new people is what won me the award.

 

 3) How has winning this award affected you moving forward?

Sometimes we are hard on ourselves and we do not take time to recognize the small achievements that lead to success. Receiving this award made me realize how far D4 has come and motivated me to keep growing the organization to leave it in great hands by the time I graduate next year. It is also nice to be recognized by people other than your family and friends for something you have worked really hard to accomplish.

 

Congratulations again to Noah Vernick for being selected for this honor, keeping the trend of emerging leaders within the QUEST community!

 

 

Zack Khan Selected as KPCB Fellow

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Congratulations to Zack Khan, CMNS student and member of Cohort 29, for his acceptance into the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) Fellows Program! KPCB is a national venture capital firm headquartered in Silicon Valley that specializes in investments in early stage and growth companies. This firm has backed major corporations in their early stages like Amazon, Google, and Twitter! KPCB started the fellows program with the intent to recruit talented students for its current portfolio companies. Its hope is to continue to help create and invest in other major entrepreneurial companies.

Zack said, “I have friends who have previously been part of KPCB fellows, and they told me I would be a great fit for this program. So, I decided to apply. When I found out that I was actually accepted into the program, I could not have been more excited or honored to know that I would have the opportunity to participate in such an amazing experience.”

While KPCB Fellows is an incredible program, there is more to the reason why Zack applied. Zack explained that “the biggest reason I joined KPCB was because of the community. KPCB has beliefs very similar to my own and I am so excited to join KPCB’s talent group, meet its diverse set of people, and learn more about entrepreneurship.”

Additionally, Zack talked about how “once you belong to the KPCB fellows program, there is always a network of professionals willing to help you and provide mentorship. I believe that this type of program will help me as I set out to achieve my goals in the future.”

For his internship this summer in Silicon Valley, Zack will be working as a Software Engineer with the startup Handshake. Handshake is a group of 80 people whose goal is “democratizing opportunity.” Handshake works as a platform of over 8 million students which companies can recruit from. This company essentially gives every student a fair shot at receiving internships and jobs. “I decided to work at Handshake because my background is in educational technology, and I can relate with other students as I am currently in college now! I value and resonate with Handshake’s mission, and I am driven to help try and solve the problem they are addressing.”

Well done, Zack! QUEST is so excited for your internship with Handshake, and we are so proud of you for what you have accomplished! Congratulations, and enjoy your time in the Bay Area this summer!

 

QUEST Students Study Design in Silicon Valley Over Spring Break

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Spring break means many fun trips for students in college, and for some of our QUEST students, it meant a trip to California’s Silicon Valley. On this trip, our students got to explore some Fortune 500 companies and startups to see how QUEST themes and ideals apply to them. The design thinking process was evident and a sense of innovation was ever-present.

Prior to going on the trip, students prepared informative dossiers on all the companies they would visit. Praneeth from Cohort 29 studied Redfin to study their design and development process which resembled that of many other Silicon Valley companies. He got to learn that “ideation starts with product managers and then goes through an iterative testing process to finalize specifications that are sent out to developers who build the product.”

QUEST students visited ABC7 news to get a behind the scenes look!

Students visited many companies in order to study their operational ways and to understand their design processes to see how they compare to one another. Students got to visit Uber, Autodesk, Facebook, Cisco, and Google to name just a few! One company they visited, Compology, was actually founded by QUEST alumnus, Jason Gates, from Cohort 16. The visit to Tesla was a popular one. QUEST students got to see the factory and ride the Model X. Jeff Zhao (Q28) enjoyed it, saying, “Going from 0-80 mph in less than 3 seconds is something that I will never forget.”

QUEST trips to various locations, such as our most recent trip to Silicon Valley, teach our students in a unique way outside of the classroom. They not only got to interact face-to-face with people that work for these companies, but they also got to see them in their work environment. A special part of the trip was that QUEST alumni were working at many of the locations visited and getting to see them give back to the program felt great and inspired Jeff Zhao to think about a future with the program beyond graduation. All of the alumni that our students got to talk to were keen on sharing career advice and the best places to go to in San Francisco.

With that said, being in Silicon Valley meant that there was exploring to be done. In their free time, QUEST students had a chance to explore the local areas and all the tourist attractions. Jack Sturtevant from Cohort 29 loved bonding with everyone in the evenings after the visits were completed. Praneeth liked sightseeing, especially when it came to seeing and experiencing things unique to San Francisco. While they were learning, students were also provided with the opportunity to get to know each other better and bond with students outside of their cohort.

Students completed a design activity at Facebook

The takeaways from this trip are endless. From the opportunity to network with many people leading and working for these great companies to forging new relationships, the QUEST students that went to Silicon Valley have brought back great experiences and stories to share with our community. Anyone that went on the trip would recommend it! Jack (Q29) was grateful that “the trip gave [him] great insight into the area of California and how different companies and life are out there. It gives you opportunities to make business connections outside of the DMV.”

Praneeth recommends the trip strongly and described it as “a unique opportunity that every QUEST student should take advantage of, if possible. We were able to get an inside look at companies that come up in every major news source on a daily basis. It’s an incomparable way to understand problems at a deeper level which ultimately helps you discover your passion. Whether that’s going behind the scenes of Tesla’s factory and watching the largest machine in North America press down on sheets of steel with enough force to be noticed on UC Berkeley’s seismograph or playing games in the arcade of Facebook’s headquarters while thinking about creative ways to connect people across the globe, it’s these unique environments that this trip gives you exposure to that helps you find your passion.”

QUEST students love the “QUEST2” trips. The adventure is unlike any other and getting to see different parts of the world while better understanding design is unmatched by any other trip. For more photos of the trip, click here! 

QUESTees at IDEO!