Flipping Tassels & Chasing Dreams: Celebrating our Graduating QUESTees

Memories of our Graduating Cohorts

As the spring sun sets on another academic year, we are excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our QUEST graduates. With the semester wrapping up, QUESTees from Cohorts 39 and 40 are putting the finishing touches on their final assignments and exams, ready to flip their tassels and embark on exciting new adventures beyond graduation. From unforgettable team memories and evolving leadership abilities to impressive professional journeys, these students have left a lasting impact on the QUEST community and beyond. This month, I had the chance to sit down with some of our well-accomplished seniors to learn about their favorite QUEST memories, their post-grad plans, and how the program has shaped their college experience and future careers.

I first had the opportunity to talk with Arav Patel (Cohort 39), a Computer Science major, who fondly reminisces about his first days in QUEST. Initially drawn to the program by a flyer and encouraged by his father’s colleagues at IBM, Patel recalls being excited to step outside his typical computer science setting and collaborate with students from diverse fields like engineering and business. When asked to describe his QUEST journey in three words, Patel chose “motivating, fun, and collaborative.” He shared how QUEST brought together intelligent, driven individuals who relied on each other’s strengths. “Overcoming team challenges and forming lasting friendships with my cohort were pivotal experiences in my personal and professional growth,” he reflected. One of his favorite memories from QUEST was the Silicon Valley trip, where he had the chance to explore the city and bond with friends, including fellow senior Akash Marakath (Cohort 40), while creating unforgettable memories together.

Looking ahead, Patel plans to venture into the world of entrepreneurship by continuing to build his startup playgoldai.com and seek venture capital funding. He plans on returning to Princeton, NJ, where he will focus on growing his startup from the comfort of his hometown, all while hopefully getting in a few travel trips to new places. With the freedom that comes post-graduation, he’s eager to balance the hustle of entrepreneurship with exploring the world and embracing the flexibility that comes with this next chapter.

Patel (3rd from the left) enjoying a game of volleyball with QUEST friends.

I next had the opportunity to interview Akash Marakath (Cohort 40), a Mechanical Engineering major whose journey through QUEST has been nothing short of transformative. When asked to describe his QUEST journey in three words, Marakath chose “exhilarating, elevating, and enriching,” each word capturing the essence of his time in the program. For him, QUEST has been much more than just academic—it’s been a space for deep personal development and reflection.

For Marakath, the most important lesson QUEST imparted was “to take a deep dive into a problem before rushing into a solution.” This shift in mindset didn’t just affect his academic work—it extended into his personal life, too. “I used to be quick to react or make decisions impulsively, but now I’ve learned to pause, think carefully, and make more thoughtful choices,” he reflected. It’s a lesson he carries with him, tackling challenges with a newfound sense of clarity and confidence.

Marakath’s journey was also deeply shaped by his involvement in QUEST organizations, where he mentions finding a community despite not knowing anyone in the program beforehand. As part of the QUEST Social team, he helped organize the 2023 QUEST Formal, from designing the neon sign to crafting keychains for the first 50 attendees. His contributions earned him one of only eight Outstanding Service Awards from the QUEST Quality Guild (Faculty and Staff)—an honor given to students who go above and beyond for the program. “Creating memorable experiences for the community is something I’m truly proud of,” Marakath said, reflecting on the impact of his leadership. His efforts not only enriched the QUEST community but also sharpened skills he will carry into his career.

Looking ahead, Marakath is excited to take the next step in his journey. This summer, he’ll be interning at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation as a Special Programs Intern, before heading back to UMD in the fall to pursue his Master’s in Aerospace Engineering, with a focus on rotorcraft. He’s eager to continue honing his engineering skills and dive deeper into the world of aerospace, all while finding time for some road trips and a visit to Italy next year.

Marakath (fourth from left) with Quality Guild members and fellow Outstanding Service Award winners

Patel encourages future QUESTees to connect with staff early on. “At first, I saw them as just professors,” he said. “But once I got to know them, I realized they’re not just instructors—they’re mentors and friends who genuinely care about your growth.” He advises students to engage with staff like Jess, Emily, and Professor David Ashley, who provide not only academic support but also invaluable guidance and networking opportunities. “They’re people you can rely on, whether for advice on your business or just to catch up.” On the same note, Marakath believes getting involved in QUEST clubs is key to growth. “You’ll make friends and develop leadership skills you won’t get anywhere else,” he shares. Through his work with QUEST Social, he learned how to lead and collaborate, skills that have shaped his college experience. His advice: “Dive into these opportunities—they’ll help you grow in ways you never imagined.”

As we celebrate Patel, Marakath, and all of our graduating QUESTees, we look back with pride at the hard work, dedication, and growth they’ve shown throughout their time in the program. QUEST has been an incubator for brilliant minds, helping students not only excel academically but also develop critical skills that will propel them forward in their careers. We are incredibly proud of all our graduates and grateful to have had such dedicated individuals as part of our QUEST family. We look forward to the bright futures they will undoubtedly shape and are excited to see where their journeys lead them next. 

If you see any familiar names below, be sure to congratulate them and keep an eye out for all the great things that will soon accomplish. Our 2025 graduates (with cohort):

  • Carter Austin 37
  • Tyler Braisted 39
  • Jennifer Chiang 39
  • Claire Dever 39
  • Arti Dhareshwar 39
  • Pranav Dulepet 39
  • John Fitzsimmons 39
  • Maia Gustafson 39
  • Ananya Khanna 39
  • Avinash Komarlingam 39
  • Ege Korkmaz 39
  • Emily Li 39
  • Samuel Low 39
  • Michael Mallamaci 39
  • Abigail Manga 39
  • Angela McGonigle 39
  • Rajit Mukhopadhyay 39
  • Jake Muller 39
  • Annie Ni 39
  • Arav Patel 39
  • Vinamr Pemmaraju 39
  • Manny Sachs-Kohen 39
  • Neeharikha Satrasala 39
  • Adelina Seck 39
  • Imaad Syed 39
  • Jamil Takieddine 39
  • Elijah Thompson 39
  • Ansh Viswanathan 39
  • Matthew Weirich 39
  • Tristan Won 39
  • James Yates 39
  • Akshita Alousyes 40
  • Shira Amar 40
  • Eric Chen 40
  • Allison Chung 40
  • Caelia Chung 40
  • Jack Collier 40
  • Supriya Daddi 40
  • Nour Eloseily 40
  • Brian Epstein 40
  • Alexis Faucette 40
  • Jacob Fishman 40
  • Patricia Guillen 40
  • Arihant Gupta 40
  • Nikita Khapre 40
  • Kim Lek 40
  • Brooke Lesser 40
  • Jennifer Li 40
  • Akash Marakath 40
  • Duncan Millar 40
  • Rahul Nair 40
  • Karen Nguyen 40
  • Anika Peshwa 40
  • Maya Pollack 40
  • Ashmita Pyne 40
  • Nandini Shah 40
  • Noah Stern 40
  • Stirling Supple 40
  • Bhargav Tumkur 40
  • Amman Vahora 40
  • Pavan Varthakavi 40
  • Shruthi Venkatachari 40
  • Kiran Vepa 40
  • Timothy Woerner 40
  • Vincent Yu 40
  • Michael Zhao 40
  • Will Procheska 41

Fresh Faces, Big Dreams: Meet Cohorts 45 and 46

Incoming! Cohorts 45 and 46 have officially arrived! After receiving over 415 applications, reviewing them all, and conducting over 150 interviews, 90 new impressive QUEST students have been selected. Earlier this month, the Quality Guild (QUEST Faculty and staff) released the names of the 90 students who will be joining our QUEST community. I had a chance to connect with three of these talented students to ask them about the application process and what they are looking forward to in the coming years.

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Making a Global Medical Impact: Student Spotlight on Wilhelm Smith

This month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Wilhelm Smith, a junior bioengineering major (Cohort 42). Currently a researcher at the University of Maryland’s Global Medical Devices Lab, Smith is working on creating a portable low-cost laparoscopy device for use in low and middle-income countries. 

Wilhelm Smith (Cohort 42)
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Breaking Into Tech, One Social Media Post at a Time: A Student Spotlight on Ume Habiba

Meet Ume Habiba, a senior who’s helping women break into the tech industry! She’s gained 87,000 followers on Instagram since March and has spoken at multiple tech conferences, including Google’s DevFest, Kode with Klossy’s speaker series, and php[tek]!

Ume Habiba speaking at Google’s DevFest conference in New York City last year
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Chris & Eric’s Pickles: QUESTees Launch a New Venture

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!

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QUESTing for Success: The Power of Community in QUEST

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.”

Senior Samantha Taskale Reflects on her Journey Through QUEST

Hi all, my name is Samantha Taskale, a graduating senior majoring in Computer Science. As a proud member of Cohort 38, I’ve recently completed my capstone class, marking the end of an extraordinary chapter with the QUEST Honors Program.

In this reflection, I aim to share my journey through the program, from 190H all those years ago to my time in the final course, my rewarding role as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for the introductory course, and my recent contribution as a student representative at the capstone conference.

When I participated in 190H, three years ago, I learned so much about working with a team of students. And later turning those fellow students into friends. I also learned a lot about professional expectations: being true to your word and the importance of showing up for your team. 190H is meant to be a highly demanding class, the necessity to juggle outside work while also upholding expectations of excellence is meant to be a learning experience. 

Pictured here is my 190H team, from left to right: Samantha Taskale, Odessa Howera, Lauren Gomes, Derreck Boateng-Agyemang, Ayman Bootwala

This semester, while going through 490H, I was one of the two TAs for 190H. Going through the introductory curriculum again with new students while doing my 490H class was an amazing experience. I’ve always loved teaching and doing it in such a hands-on, challenging, and practical environment was a joy. Planning lego activities on agile and just-in-time manufacturing were highlights of my semester. I also truly enjoyed imparting my knowledge of presentation skills and speaking presence. Seeing how the 190H students developed, learning about the program, and improving their processes was incredibly rewarding.

Discussing with my students at the QUEST Conference

A culmination point for me was seeing my students at our conference and discussing my completed project. Answering their questions and sharing as much knowledge as I could was a truly full-circle moment for me.

Going into 490H this semester, myself and my cohort shared a sentiment of anticipation. Throughout the program you are always told that this is one of the most important classes. The class is your opportunity to truly display all of your knowledge and development. Of course that always leaves room for let down when things don’t go quite as planned. But that in itself was also part of the process. Dealing with undecided scopes or clients is part of life and what shined in those cases was the support from our teams, cohort, and professors. Working with professor David Ashley as our faculty advisor this semester was truly a morale boost. When things got difficult or uncertain, we could rely on each other and Professor Ashley to uplift spirits and encourage the team to chug ahead. Ultimately, I am so extremely proud of the work my team completed this semester. 

Following the completion of our project, the conference couldn’t have gone better. In the week leading up to it, my team, the rest of my cohort, and I worked tirelessly on our slides, posters, and speeches. I was also preparing my speech as the student speaker. It was tough to hold back my emotions in the first draft. I worked closely with Abby Bond, the speaker from last semester. Reflecting on our experiences together was a blast. In my speech, I focused on the importance of friendships. In 190H, we always emphasized the value of team members being friends, as it leads to better professional partnerships. 

My speech at the QUEST Conference

My speech about the importance of friendships in the program was met with a lot of positive reactions. My cohort shared my sentimental feelings, and an alumnus even told me that my speech made him nostalgic for the program.

I hope to have had an impact on QUEST. The program and people have certainly had an impact on me. As a whole, I hope that for each team I was a part of, for each student I helped this semester, and each conversation I had, people have come away with a brighter outlook and more knowledge. 

My advice to future students would be to ask the questions and show up. College is a cornucopia of opportunities and decisions. If you find something interesting, don’t be afraid to say so. I just happened to find QUEST interesting. If there is an opportunity that comes by and you are piqued with interest, don’t be afraid to take the first step, ask the first question, or shoot the first cold email. As QUEST’s assistant director Jess Roffe would say: “ABS” or Always Be Scoping. 

Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue as a TA until the end of my time at UMD. I hope the future students enjoy and benefit from the program as much as I have. I hope to remain an involved alumna of the program following my graduation.