We can all agree that the University of Maryland looks a bit different this semester, and it’s been a long time since most QUESTees have seen each other in-person. Despite no longer being able to see each other at events in the QUEST Lab or around campus, QUEST Social and QUEST Creative have been hard at work to keep the QUEST community engaged!
Category Archives: Student Stories
QUEST Student Innovates Mobility in Uganda
QUEST students go on to create incredible impact in their professional and personal lives. Some of them start early and are able to work on projects that are deeply meaningful while still at UMD. Natalie Wolfe, a Mechanical Engineering student and junior in Cohort 33, is one of them. Natalie is the Innovation Team Lead for the Engineering World Health (EWH) Chapter at UMD. The EWH Chapter at UMD is a part of a global community seeking to inspire and mobilize biomedical engineering to improve the quality of health care in vulnerable communities.
Cohort 35 Student Infuses Creativity into STEM
When describing the QUEST Honors Program, the first word that comes to many minds is interdisciplinary. Though only in his first semester with QUEST, Cohort 35 Materials Science and Engineering QUESTee Vincent Lan has taken “interdisciplinary” into action with his new organization, Flower STEM. When asked about what inspired him to create Flower STEM, Vincent explained that “it felt like current STEM classes are set up in a way where students learn concepts, formulas, and topics with limited application opportunities. Even when we do get to apply our work, it’s often very technical, without room for creativity. In the real world, creativity is what sets technology apart, and I want UMD students to get exposure to this concept while still in college.” After formulating the vision behind Flower STEM late one night, Vincent knew he had to pursue it. He formed a group of officers that were also interested in the interaction of creative and technical studies, began the SORC (Student Organization Resource Center) application, and even had a logo designed. From there, Flower STEM’s seeds began to blossom.
The goal of Flower STEM is to promote and showcase creativity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Through impactful workshops and captivating guest speakers, Flower STEM aims to show that STEM is interconnected with arts, entrepreneurship, and all other fields that demand creativity. Their guest speaker lineup includes figures like Anouk Wipprecht, a Dutch-based hi-tech fashion designer and entrepreneur. She is working in the emerging field of FashionTech, a rare combination of fashion design combined with STEM and UX design. Examples of projects include creating Intel-Edison based ‘Spider Dress’ where sensors and moveable arms on the dress help to create “a more defined boundary of personal space while employing a fierce style.” Through figures like this and more, Flower STEM members can get a first-hand look at how technology can be applied to more artistic industries.
Though the organization is still very new, many students have shown interest in Flower STEM’s vision and ideals. Aside from just professional development, Flower STEM aims to create a social community of interdisciplinary students on campus. Though aimed at STEM students, the club is open to all majors, encouraging diversity of perspective and background. Flower STEM also hopes to create a Big-Little Program, nicknamed “Flower Buds.” Additionally, the club has an active Discord, making it easier for members to bond and remain connected, even during the virtual semester. With a large group of passionate and creative individuals, it’s inevitable that Flower STEM members will inspire others and create innovative projects in the future.
The QUEST community can’t wait to see Flower STEM blossom into a thriving organization! If you’re interested in learning more about Flower STEM, you can follow them on Instagram at @flowerstemus. Best wishes to Vincent and the rest of Flower STEM for a great organization kickoff and rest of the semester!
QUESTees Dive into Leadership
In the “new normal” faced by students this semester, virtual communication has become more important than ever. A few QUESTees are tackling this issue through their leadership on the launch team for Dive Chat, a new group-messaging system that hit the App Store in August. I had the opportunity to speak with Aaliya Husain (Cohort 35), Jules Parra (Cohort 35), and Ishaan Kapur (Cohort 36) about their experience with Dive.
Dive Chat is a new student-run startup that leverages group chats through organized channel messaging and events. As one of ten launch teams at universities across the country, the Dive launch team at UMD has been hard at work building their team, hosting virtual social events, and developing a mentor program for freshmen.
Aaliya started working with Dive when a recruiter reached out to her via LinkedIn this July. She resonated with Dive’s mission and culture, so she agreed to serve as UMD’s Launch Campus Manager for the summer. “Since Dive is a completely student-run startup, you get to see all aspects of the app: the development, the business side, and the tech side. Everyone is always willing to help with professional questions or random everyday questions,” Aaliya said.
After being messaged by the recruiter and learning that Aaliya had already joined, Jules joined the summer team as Assistant Campus Manager. Jules is interested in a career in technology and thought it would be a valuable experience to work on a startup’s launch team with other UMD students. Ishaan joined the launch team as a Recruiting Manager for similar reasons, saying he was excited when he “learned that it’s this cool new app and actually believed it could go somewhere.”
Since the app’s launch last month, UMD’s team has focused on engaging in the campus community. Aaliya said the team has been getting to know each other virtually. “What I love about our team is everyone is so nice, and I wouldn’t have met all of these people if it weren’t for Dive. We have fun socials too just to get to know each other.” Dive has also instituted a mentorship program for incoming freshmen with virtual social mixers. “It’s not just about the app, but community-building as well,” Aaliya said.
After organizing strategy for the internal teams over the summer, Jules is looking forward to keeping up with her network and maintaining the friendships she made through Dive. Ishaan is continuing his role with Dive’s recruiting this fall, and he feels excited to continue challenging his communication and teamwork skills. Aaliya decided to switch to a brand strategy role in order to learn more about brainstorming, design thinking, and content creation.
Working with Dive’s launch team has been an influential experience for these QUESTees to grow professionally. Aaliya reflected, “Everyone on the team is very active and their belief in the product is insane. Everyone has a deep-rooted belief that this is great, and that makes everyone want to work harder.”
Do you want to learn more about Dive Chat? Visit https://dive.chat/
Catching Up with the Cohorts at Home
I don’t know about you, but for the first time in a while, it almost feels like I have a little extra time on my hands since I’ve been away from the daily hustle of campus life. Whether it’s catching up on classes, spending time with family, or diving into those personal passion projects (doctors are reporting alliteration is a symptom of productivity), everyone has been finding new ways to use their spare time. Luckily for me, I had the chance to see what three current QUEST students have been up to over the last of couple weeks since we left campus!
Adam Sarsony | Cohort 29 | Rockville, MD
All is well in the Sarsony house, where early in the mornings, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse–at least on the weekends. Adam is home in Rockville with his sister, who studies education in North Carolina, and his parents. It’s not unusual to walk into a simulated class, where his sister may or may not be recording a class session analyzing Laura Numeroff’s American classic, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, in English or Spanish.
As for his classes, his machine learning and business courses are tying in well to his projects, particularly his research with Dr. Purtilo of the Quality Guild, investigating how digital tools can be better used to make in-person all meetings more effective. Here, he partakes in week-long design sprints leading up to Friday presentations on his project, related to the live presentation feedback tool some QUEST students may have used in their 190H courses. This tool allows users–presenters–to receive active feedback on their technical presentations so they can better understand audience understanding and attention. What better way than to ask them, right?
Work without play does not make a fun day, and Adam’s research hasn’t been his only personal interest. He’s actually rebuilt his personal website into a bit of a game using React. Check out Adam’s website here and some resources he shared to get started with your own site:
- humans.fyi: A collection of personal websites people have shared for inspiration
- AWS Amplify : An easy platform to host your first site on, with a start-up guide using React here
Sam Pearlstein | Cohort 31 | Danville, CA
Even though some QUEST students might be ready to call it a night near College Park, the sun’s still shining bright in the Golden State, and Sam Pearlstein is still making the most of every day! Her days start with meetings staying on top of everything QUEST and end with plenty of time with her family now that she’s home.
Sam was sure to voice how much she misses everyone in the QUEST Program, but luckily, she has still been able to stay involved while away from campus. She and her team are hard at work on their 490H project with their client Intralox, where they’re working with the conveyor belt manufacturer to analyze the use of Smartsheet, a data collection software. 490H is just one color on Sam’s palette of QUEST opportunities, as well–she’s also very involved with QUEST Recruiting and is serving as a mentor! As part of mentors class, she is co-leading a new effort to consolidate all of the current QUEST resources into one, easy-to-use platform: the QUEST Intranet! Be sure to check out the Facebook group to share your thoughts in a recent survey regarding the project’s development as well.
Out of the classroom, Sam’s been enjoying the time with her family and getting back to training for a half marathon, taking advantage of the sunny days to enjoy the fresh air on her runs. When she gets home to refuel, her and mom break open the recipe books and get cooking with Bon Appetit, where she’s discovered the perfect tostada recipe, which she highly recommends you try yourself.
Ayo Awobajo | Cohort 33 | Bowie, MD
They say work doesn’t feel like work when you’re doing what you love and back in Bowie, Maryland, Ayo Awobajo is doing exactly what he loves regardless of the circumstances, noting: “Although these are unprecedented times, there’s strength to be found. Reach out to someone, learn a new skill, do good work as we push through this as a community.”
He truly turns his words to work, digging deep into professional development and creativity at every chance he gets. Before he jumps into a business analyst internship with Tradeweb, a New York-based e-trade support platform, he’ll be spending the rest of his spring semester learning from mentors in externships with both J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley. Through these opportunities, he’s had the chance to see the day-to-day operations behind each company with a valuable emphasis on professionalism, and he’s sure to be Wall-Street ready in no time at all!
When he isn’t learning about the business world, he sets his sights to diving into it–Ayo actually started his own brand, Faith Love Optimism–the FLO, for short–this past November, a project nearly a year in the making. The uplifting lifestyle brand brings faith and joy to contemporary design, and now, he’s letting his creativity flo(w) as he prepares to launch a fresh series of designs in his Season 2 releases! Check out the start to his awesome clothing line on Instagram, and be sure to drop a follow for updates on their newest installments to the collection!
Priming Your Pitch: Tips From Hydraze CEO and QUEST Student Charles Grody
Charles Grody (Cohort 29) has been to countless pitch competitions. He has pitched Hydraze to CEOs and executives of companies including Under Armour and Hungry Harvest and traveled all the way to Toronto for a competition over winter break. He’s perfected his pitch and everything that precedes it. Because we have tons of entrepreneurial minds here in QUEST, I figured that it would be cool to capture his formula for many successes during his time growing Hydraze. I asked Charles some questions and his responses follow:
How do you find a “good” pitch competition?
Charles suggested that being active and engaged in entrepreneurship programs is key. He said, “I recommend finding the resources on campus that support entrepreneurs. I found out about the Do Good Challenge and Pitch Dingman through the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (EIP). Then, competing in the Do Good challenge opened up my eyes to other resources.”
How do you prepare the content for a pitch?
Charles broke this down into four main steps.
Step 1: “If I’m doing a presentation from scratch, I like to storyboard ahead of time and figure out what the flow is. Start with a hook to draw people in and the way to do that really depends on what your product is. It is good to evoke emotion. That may mean pulling on people’s heartstrings or being funny. I choose the latter as I am talking about toilets. Use the storyboard outline to make sure you hit all the key points of the pitch.”
Step 2: “Once you have an idea of what you want to communicate on each slide, build out the slide deck with appropriate content.”
Step 3: “Create a script. The bottom line is to get your message across. For me, that means a script word-for-word. But for others, that may mean having three key points that need to be mentioned.”
Step 4: “Practice! And that may not be necessary for everyone. You don’t want to lose the right tone or passion in the pitch but definitely prepare in the way that makes you the most comfortable.”
What does the team do together to get ready?
“As a team, the main thing is a good balance between individual and team practice, both of which are equally important. There’s a team chemistry component that can only be figured out when practicing as a group. You don’t have to be super nice when giving feedback as honesty will lead to progress.”
How do you get in the right mindset on the day of a pitch?
“I have to trust myself. You have to go up there knowing that you’ve practiced and that you’re well prepared.”
Any final notes or advice?
“There is no such thing as a cookie-cutter pitch. Every pitch should have something special to it and should be able to stand out in its own right and impress people. Pitch what works best with your company, your passion, your feelings, and you’ll be an all-star.”
We cannot wait to see where Hydraze goes and where the next pitch will be. If you have any questions, Charles is happy to chat. He can be reached at cdgrody@gmail.com.
Celine Moarkech (Cohort 29) is a senior studying Data Analytics in Biotechnology.
QUEST in the Community: Introducing QUESTServes
Building, maintaining, and expanding relationships is a major piece of the puzzle behind the success of the QUEST Honors Program. From corporate partnerships to campus organizations, outreach lies at the heart of so much growth and opportunity–and now, a new QUEST organization is lending a hand in the effort! QUESTServes is a student initiative bringing together students from every cohort to enrich the College Park and greater communities through service, leadership, and outreach. The new student organization was started by Cohort 33 students Ryan Gerbes, Tori Miske, Mausam Patel, and Maggie Quinn and kicked off its journey last month by partnering with UMD’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network (FRN).
QUESTServes and FRN collaborated on February 29th following the Maryland-Michigan State men’s basketball game during a Collection Event at Maryland’s Xfinity Center. They recovered leftover food from concession stands at one of the season’s biggest games. Volunteers were able to collect nearly 30 full units of recovered food, enough to provide well over 75 meals to those in need. After the food left our hands, it was donated to the Christian Life Center, which then redistributed meals to those in need via local food pantries and outreach groups. Moving forward, QUESTServes looks to create a long-term relationship with the Food Recovery Network by hosting a Recovery Event at the conclusion of the QUEST Conference each semester!
Following the recent amendments to the University’s schedule and new policies regarding public gatherings, the remainder of QUESTServes events have been postponed until the fall. But stay excited– the organization hopes to sponsor more FRN Recovery Events and register groups for both College Park Good Neighbor Day and Relay for Life next spring! In the meantime, plenty of events are planned for the fall for everyone interested in giving back–a Terp Thon team will be regularly fundraising throughout the year, leading up to the 12-hour dance marathon next March, with more information coming out regarding events hosted in September, October, and November soon!
Interested in staying up-to-date on upcoming events and news? Join the QUESTServes Official GroupMe messaging board via this link.
Have a collaboration or project you want to see happen in our community? Email suggestions to the official QUESTServes email: questservesoffical@gmail.com.
Ryan Gerbes (Cohort 33) is a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering.
Making the Most of Winter Break
This month, we have been welcoming back all of our QUESTees for a new, and some student’s final, spring semester! Although QUEST students were gone for five weeks and did not get to participate in innovative QUEST classes, they seemed to be doing some pretty cool and exciting activities on their own!
Celine Moarkech of Cohort 29, and QUESTPress’ Editor and Chief, spent part of her winter break in the country of Colombia! “I absolutely loved Colombia! In the craziest of ways, this trip was super QUEST-y. I did an AirBnB experience with an architect in Medellin to learn about the city planning and design post-Escobar, and I learned that so much thought went into it. From thinking about every potential user of city transportation to identifying the most efficient ways (ski lifts are regular forms of transport) to keeping everything sustainable, the city is not only developing amazingly for now but also for the future!”
Neil Duggal of Cohort 31 went abroad with the Smith School of Business and interactively studied the financial effects of Brexit in England and Belgium. “I really enjoyed visiting the historical aspects of each city. I absolutely loved learning about the military leaders and going to museums. The food was amazing – I could always go for some classic fish ‘n chips. Also, I went to Paris on my own and really enjoyed exploring the town of Versailles. If you go, definitely hit up the bakeries and eat every type of croissant imaginable.”
Charles Grody, Jack Sturtevant, and Tuvia Rapaport, all from Cohort 29, went to Queen’s University in Toronto to pitch Hydraze, their startup eco-friendly public toilet flushing system, in the Queen’s Entrepreneurial Challenge. Jack Sturtevant said, “We were one of fifteen teams to compete in the challenge, and only one of four non-Canadian start-ups. We made it to the final, which consisted of only six teams. This was a really cool opportunity for Hydraze because we got to pitch our idea in front of people like the Chief Marketer at Groupon, the CTO of Microsoft, Canada, etc. Charles Grody added, “This was actually all of our first time in Canada. It snowed a lot, so when we weren’t focusing on Hydraze, we were having snowball fights!”
These QUEST students really had some cool experiences this winter break! Sadly, its time to regroup and get back to class… Only four more weeks until spring break, but who’s counting…
Passion Pitch: Gesna Aggarwal Leads Technica Hackathon
The “Passion Pitch” is a spotlight on QUEST students that have gone above and beyond for their passions outside of the classroom. When pondering this topic, Gesna Aggarwal of Cohort 32 instantly came to mind.
Gesna is a junior, computer science major and when discussing passion with her, it is evident that her involvement on campus resonates deeply with her. Gesna is the incoming Co-Executive Director of Technica, a 24-hour all-women and nonbinary hackathon hosted here at UMD. Technica provides individuals with a platform to build something that they are passionate about, as people of all experience levels and majors can get together to learn about technology.
“When I first joined the university as a computer science major, I was very intimidated. It was difficult to establish confidence among very talented peers,” she said.
After hearing about Technica as a freshman, she decided to give it a try. It was the first hackathon she had ever attended, and she felt instantly empowered.
“I got to see 800-900 people all around supporting women in tech, supporting nonbinary in tech. I experienced mentorship and a team that really made me feel like I belonged.”
From that moment on, Gesna made it a point to get more involved with the event. Sophomore year, she joined the Sponsorship Team. This past year, she was the Sponsorship Team Co-Director. As mentioned previously, Gesna was recently selected to become the new Executive Co-Director of Technica.
“I want to make other people feel like they belong in tech as well and move barriers for anyone who feels like he or she can’t learn tech or that it’s too complicated for them. Through Technica, I hope people realize that with the right support system and with the right tools, you can do anything you want. Within tech or beyond.”
As she is stepping into this new role, Gesna is prepared through her previous Technica experience, the event’s alignment with her own values, and some of the experiences she’s had through the QUEST program.
“Technica aligns so well with QUEST since almost everything is team-based. If you are a hacker, you are working with others who are interested in similar things to build something. If you are working behind the scenes, you work on a 4-5 person team to accomplish team goals. Both involve a lot of multidisciplinary thinking.”
With the variety of perspectives that go into planning the event itself and into collaborating at the event, the value of diverse-thought is clear. “Similar to QUEST, you learn a lot from mentorships and workshops, but you learn the most from your teammates.” Even various planning teams work constantly with one another to collaborate on the event.
And it appears that the hard work put in has paid off. This past Technica was the largest hosted yet! Through the feedback of previous events and the program iterations moving forward, Technica is able to improve every year – which is certainly something emphasized throughout QUEST. One can only imagine all of the awesome things that will come next year through Gesna’s leadership.
For anyone interested in Technica, keep an eye out for upcoming information. The annual event will likely take place next November and would be a great opportunity to get involved and support an incredibly dedicated and passionate member of the QUEST community. You rock, Gesna!
QUEST Congratulates December Graduates
As the fall 2019 semester comes to a close, we would like to congratulate all of the QUEST seniors graduating this month! We want to take the opportunity to highlight a few of the seniors going on to do great things.
Mark Purtilo (Q27) is looking forward to joining Verisign after interning at the company for several summers. He is graduating this month as a Computer Engineering major. His favorite memory from QUEST was after he and his team gave their 490H presentation at the QUEST Conference. He remembers reflecting on the journey it took to get to that point from orientation at QUEST Camp. Throughout his time with QUEST, Mark also enjoyed being a 190H mentor for Cohort 30.
Corinne Farley (Q28) is excited to join GE Healthcare in July 2020. After graduating as a Bioengineering major and Computer Science minor, Corinne will start as a software engineer through the Edison Engineering Development Program at GE Healthcare. In between graduation and the beginning of the program, Corinne looks forward to spending time with family, as well as traveling in Europe. One of her favorite memories from the QUEST Program is hanging out with her cohort and the Quality Guild at MilkBoy after the QUEST Conference.
Ankit Sheth (Q29) is excited to graduate this semester with a Finance major and Human Development minor. He plans on traveling after graduation, before working full time in summer 2020. Throughout his time in QUEST, he enjoyed participating in the Scoping elective and being a 190H mentor. His favorite memories from QUEST include traveling to Houston with his 490H team for a client visit and also living with Adam Sarsony and David Rosenstein (both Q29) during his junior year.
Michael Khizgilov (Q29) has accepted a full time offer as an Analyst at Cornerstone Research in DC. He is graduating this semester as a Finance major. His favorite memory from the QUEST Program has been going on the QUEST to Silicon Valley trip. He has also enjoyed being a TA for 390H and 490H. After graduation, Michael also plans to continue working as a professional music producer.
| Congratulations to all of our December graduates! Puneeth Bikkumanla (Q29), Carly Buckner (Q30), Ben Conway (Q28), Evan Eisenberg (Q22), Corinne Farley (Q28), Annesha Goswami (Q29), Conrad Hong (Q27), Saikrishna Kalla (Q30), Michael Khizgilov (Q29), Connor Petrelle (Q30), Mark Purtilo (Q27), Julia Roh (Q27), Vineet Shah (Q30), Ankit Sheth (Q29), Isaac Soltz (Q30), and Laura Zheng (Q29). |
