In the spirit of warmer weather, QUEST students are getting active. Besides going to the gym, QUESTees are putting their team skills to use by participating in intramural volleyball!
Category Archives: Student Stories
The QUEST for Data: Highlights from QUEST’s Annual Datathon
With the QUESTTech Datathon just passing, we have many QUESTees to congratulate! This competition, sponsored by Fifth Tribe, was the third annual data competition hosted by QUESTech and the QUEST Honors Program at UMD. Teams had the opportunity to analyze a complex dataset and present their findings to a panel of judges for a chance to win a cash prize! Judges included QUEST alumna Heather Bacon (Cohort 34), Dr. Brian Danielak, Professor David Ashley, and QUEST Program Coordinator Emily Marks.
Daniel Lamb (Q40) and Melvin Rajendran (Q40) at the QUESTTech Datathon with Khuram Zaman, CEO of Fifth Tribe
An International QUEST
This January, I was fortunate enough to go on the QUEST Winter Abroad Trip to Vietnam and Singapore. Signing up for the trip, I really didn’t know what to expect, and I have to say, this opportunity far exceeded my expectations. On my transcript, what looks like a 3-credit course was an opportunity where I was able to learn, grow, and have fun.
Electrical Engineer to Lawyer? More Likely than You Think
When Matt Weirich joined the QUEST program as a freshman, he had already started two of his own businesses and was in the process of getting two patents. How did he do all of this before even starting college? I had the chance to sit down with Matt and learn more.
Congratulations December Graduates
We are so proud of the eleven QUESTees who graduated this fall. I was able to speak with two of them, Kunal Parikh and Joy Tijani, to get their perspectives on their time in QUEST here at Maryland as well as ask them about the future.
SGA? How about QUESTGA?
QUEST students can be found in leadership everywhere on campus. From the Engineering buildings to across campus at the Business School, QUEST students excel and thrive at UMD. So, it is no surprise that some of the leaders in the Student Government Association (SGA) are QUEST students!
Celebrating 30 Years of QUEST
It’s an exciting year for QUEST! This year marks the 30th anniversary of QUEST, formerly the IBM-Total Quality Program. This program was founded back in 1992 after winning a $1 million grant from IBM. Eight universities won the grant, but QUEST is the only program still in existence!
I had a chance to speak with Luke Muratore (Cohort 37), one of the QUEST students on the 30th anniversary planning committee to get more insight into what this celebration will entail.
Spring Break in Style- from Miami to Madrid
With an abundance of homework and exams, spring break was a nice time for everyone to rest and recharge. For some, that included going on trips, ranging from the beach to another country!
Exploring QUESTees Passions Outside of the Classroom
It’s known that QUESTees tend to excel in their fields of study through the realms of business, engineering, the sciences, and more. However, outside of the academic environment, many QUEST students explore their passions through pursuing their respective hobbies of service, sport, and intellectual curiosity. This month, I was able to speak with two current QUESTees who are excelling in their respective fields of sport and service.
QUESTees Around the Globe: Study Abroad Reopens
College is the land of countless new opportunities, and one of the most exciting is the opportunity to study abroad. With the ability to choose a program anywhere in the world, studying abroad offers a time to learn about your passion while meeting new people and exploring new cultures. This month, I talked to three QUEST students who are currently taking their studies global about their exciting experiences.
While studying abroad is an exciting point of any student’s years of college, it can be difficult to find a program that’s the right fit for you. Ethan Martinez, a computer science major in Cohort 36, is currently part of the UMD Exchange program to University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. He found the program using the Study Abroad Course Database, which helped him plan out what courses would give him credit. He also consulted friends who had also studied abroad there. Martinez wasn’t only focused on the academics; as an outdoor and history enthusiast, he was excited to see the Scottish Highlands and explore historical sights such as medieval castles. Alexa Schwab, a business management major in Cohort 36, is currently studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain as part of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona program. She found that utilizing UMD’s study abroad advisors helped her match up with a program that fit her goals. Schwab loved that Barcelona was a beach city, had many English speakers, and was easy to travel through the rest of Europe. When it comes to finding a study abroad program, utilizing university resources is vital for straightening out the logistics but picking a place that aligns with your personal travel interests should also be considered.
QUESTee Alexa Schwab with the Mona Lisa in Paris, France
Studying abroad is largely about expanding your horizons and learning about new cultures both personally and academically. Martinez has found his best times so far to be traveling in both Scotland and through Europe with his flatmates. Some of the highlights were visiting the Edinburgh castle where he learned about Scottish royalty, St. Margaret’s church which is over 1,000 years old, and Copenhagen where he saw the Rosenborg Slot. When not traveling, he enjoys hiking Arthur’s Seat and visiting Scottish pubs to meet other students and locals. Schwab has taken advantage of Spain’s location to visit several countries including France and Switzerland while also taking time to see many of Spain’s beautiful cities. One of her best memories was taking a chocolate making class in Switzerland. Rishi Parikh, an aerospace engineering major in Cohort 35, is studying at University Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) in Madrid, Spain as part of the Clark in Madrid program. Parikh has spent his time in Madrid making new friends from all around Europe including Italy, Scotland, and Germany and trying different activities while abroad. Academically, he finds self motivation to be the key to success.
Copenhagen, Denmark taken by QUESTee Ethan Martinez
When it came to advice for future QUEST students looking to study abroad, the interviewees had plenty of helpful tips. Parikh advises stepping out of your comfort zone to make friends that are not just from English-speaking countries and even going random with roommates to meet people from all over. He is a strong supporter of keeping an open mind and taking the time to explore. Martinez agrees, explaining that meeting students outside of the US gives a fresh perspective. He also advises future study abroad students to make time for having fun as this experience won’t come again. Although studying abroad can sometimes seem like an intimidating and daunting process, with the use of plenty of resources, it can be one of the best times of our college career. It’s a wonderful time to actually discover yourself and see the world from a totally different view. Enjoy the rest of your semesters abroad!