Great Expectations: Alumni Mentor Program

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Article by Russell Lyons (Q16)

Collaboration is a key aspect of the QUEST community. Part of collaborating with others is acknowledging that you do not have all the answers. The new Alumni Mentor program began taking form last spring when a pilot of the program was launched. After learning from the pilot the official program launched this fall. A kickoff event for mentors and mentees was hosted in the beginning of September. The goal for the night was to give the pairings of students and alumni a venue for establishing their relationship. Whether it is a mentoring relationship or another type of collaboration, such as a student project team, there are several requirements for achieving success. I learned these requirements from Dr. Bigio through taking his Lean Six Sigma course, which I strongly recommend to any younger QUEST students. The requirements are: Relationship, Commitment, Vision, Structure, Action, and Completion. So how would each of these requirements be fulfilled for a mentoring relationship?

Relationship: understand why everyone is getting involved in the program. Why did each other sign up to be a mentor or mentee?

Commitment: declare what each person’s level of commitment is. How often would the other person like to meet, and is it sufficient for each person to get what they want out of the collaboration.

Vision: establish what goals you and your mentee/mentor want to achieve. Where are we starting and what will be the path we need to take to get to the goals?

Structure: state what responsibilities and actions are expected of each other. How will meetings be planned? If a meeting has to be cancelled or postponed what will be the process for that?

Action: accomplish the tasks desired to reach the goals set out in the vision by each other by following the structure that was set up. What was produced from the action and how will it be documented?

Completion: acknowledge what was accomplished and how it differed from what you set out to achieve; learn from your experience and find aspects of collaborating with others that you can use to improve future endeavors. Is there anything that has been left unsaid through the duration of working together?

Following these requirements can help guide you through your mentor/mentee relationship or any other collaboration you might be involved with. It’s not about having all the answers as I said earlier, but learning from others so next time you might.

QUEST Homecoming Tailgate

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Article by Brian Bender (Q5)

The 2nd Annual QUEST Student/Alumni tailgate (dubbed “QUESTGate” by the students) on Saturday October 20th was a great event. The QUEST Alumni Board sponsored the event where upwards of 40 current students and recent alumni got to interact, play a few games, and eat some good food. The drinks were flowing and we couldn’t get the hot dogs and hamburgers off the grill fast enough. Unfortunately, the football team couldn’t pull off the last second upset, but we can all say we had fun during the pregame festivities.

According to Dulany Wagner, Cohort 18, “QUESTGate provided an excellent opportunity for current students and alumni to interact in an informal setting. It was great to see students from the three current cohorts take a break from midterm studying and relax with friends. I was able catch up with alumni, who I had not seen or spoken with since they graduated. It was exciting to hear about their successes post-graduation and reminisce about our shared experiences in QUEST. The general atmosphere of the tailgate was very high energy. Students and alumni alike were excited to be outside, enjoying good food, and playing a few rounds of corn hole. I cannot wait until I get to return as an alumna at next year’s tailgate to continue the fun.”

Thanks go to Dulaney Wagner for arranging for the banner, cornhole, and some student transportation, and to Josh Davis and Brian Bender for arranging the food and doing the grillilng.

“It’s Your Race, Take the Lead”: Reflections from an On-Campus Event

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Article by: Margaret Zheng (Q19)

This summer, we all watched in awe as Team USA competed in the Olympic and Paralympic games. On Thursday, September 13th at the Riggs Alumni Center, Deloitte and the U.S. Olympic Committee gave students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with three olympic medalists: soccer player Abby Wambach, swimmer Cullen Jones, and Paralympic swimmer Mallory Weggemann.

Margaret (second from left) with members of Team USA

As a former Deloitte intern, I was fortunate enough to also attend a Green Room reception prior to the main event. What surprised me the most was how approachable the athletes were. I spent the summer cheering on the US Women’s National Team during every soccer match, so I was undeniably starstruck when I shook Abby Wambach’s hand and started a casual conversation. She was humble, relatable, and even grateful that so many students took interest in her story. Throughout the night, the Olympians continually reminded us of how similar they are to the average student.

Paralympic swimmer Mallory Weggemann became a paraplegic following a routine epidural injection when she was 18 years old. She returned to the pool after just three months, broke her first world records later that year, and won her first Paralympic gold medal with a record pace this summer. QUEST has primed us to persevere through any and all obstacles, to stop at nothing to fulfill our passions and dreams; Weggemann’s courage and determination exemplify this mindset. She left us with an important lesson: “Sometimes life changes us, but sometimes we change our own lives.” As student leaders, we must empower ourselves and take initiative in creating the best possible future for our generation through innovation and quality improvement. After all, “it’s up to us to push the boundaries. It’s up to us to take the lead and move forward from there.”

Swimmer Cullen Jones, a gold medalist in the 4×100 freestyle relay, and 2-time gold medalist/soccer phenomenon Abby Wambach shared similar stories of overcoming adversity. Jones’ journey began with nearly drowning as a toddler and has been anything but easy since then; he narrowly qualified for the team and battled extreme doubts from his own coach. However, Jones was relentless in the pursuit of his Olympic dream, asserting, “If you have a goal and you want to reach that goal, you have to plan how you’re going to get that goal.” Wambach referenced the event that served as both her biggest disappointment and motivator—her team’s loss in the 2011 World Cup. When the US and Japan met again this summer, losing was simply not an acceptable option for Wambach. QUESTees can certainly relate—we don’t fear challenges… we anticipate them, we prepare for them, and we defeat them with a clear plan of attack. We don’t settle for the status quo, and we’re willing to take risks or get our hands dirty if it means we can reach a higher level of excellence.

We don’t need to be Olympians to “go for the gold”. It all comes down to allowing our drive to outweigh any challenges we face in our daily lives. Weggemann, Jones, and Wambach reminded us that they, too, had humble beginnings but are successful because they will stop at nothing to achieve greatness. Who’s to say that we can’t do the same?

Studying Abroad

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Article by: Jacob Wilkowsky (Q19)

Syllabus week is behind us, textbooks are finally purchased, and classes are starting to speed up. As life at College Park once again becomes the norm, you may notice the absence of some of your usual classmates. Maybe they switched majors? Did they drop out and join a start-up? Either of these situations could be the case. But you won’t see me around campus this semester, because like many others, I am studying abroad.

Jacob poses for a picture during his adventures abroad

I have already made the commitment to study in Milan this semester, but there was a time when I didn’t know if I would be leaving the comfort of College Park. Debating whether to study abroad, there were many questions I considered. I asked questions like:
• Will I miss out on spending time back at College Park?
• Can I meet new people and make new friends?
• The credits, do they transfer!?!?
These, among many others, are the questions most students ask themselves when considering studying abroad. Sometimes students get overwhelmed by these uncertainties and drop the idea all together. However, for any student debating whether to study abroad you only really need to ask yourself one question: why should I study abroad? Hopefully I can help you find the answer by sharing the experiences of two QUESTees who have already studied abroad.

The first student I interviewed was Cole Parker of Cohort 19, who studied abroad in Japan this summer. Cole wanted to become fluent in Japanese and capitalize on his Japanese and International Business double major. Excited to hear about his time abroad, I asked Cole about the impact studying abroad had on him. His experience had a huge impact on his life- it “morphed [his] eating style and personal fitness, taught [him] about American and Japanese culture, solidified [his] religious convictions and fortified [his] self-confidence.” And when asked to give one reason why someone should study abroad, Cole unequivocally stated, “I believe going to Japan for a semester has enabled me to unlock my potential.”

Unlocking potential, learning about culture, picking up second languages, new foods and fitness, more self-confidence, religious convictions fortified: sounds like a good move on Cole’s part. What does Sahil Rahman (Cohort 17) think? He spent his Spring 20212 semester in Sevilla, Spain.

“Although I enjoyed every semester at school there was one that stood out from all the rest. It encompassed every range of emotion, and is home to some of my most absurd escapades, greatest personal growth, funniest stories, and many of my fondest memories– [it] was the spring of 2012. We traveled all over, met amazing people, tried local cuisines, learned new languages, and found ourselves in an absurd amount of dance offs. We went to bullfights & flamenco shows, stepped outside our comfort zones, partied with the locals, and had the time of our lives!”

Sahil was one of the people who helped me decide whether to study abroad. Talking to him yesterday, he repeated a proclamation he gave me 4 months ago- “Studying abroad is a surreal experience, and is one of the best things you can do for yourself during your college years.” Hopefully, like Sahil did for me, I can provide you with some insight on why you should study abroad.

Here is the way I see it. Not so long ago we were at orientation and had questions like:
• Will I miss my family and friends from back home?
• Can I meet new people and make new friends?
• The credits, what do I take!?!?!
We were nervous, excited, the whole experience was undeniably thrilling. Some time between then and now we had a journey and all the questions we were so concerned about seemed to vanish. The experiences have been great, and staying in College Park will undeniably produce more great memories.

So why study abroad? Here is my answer, are you ready? Study abroad because it offers you a great canvas for you to expand your horizons and grow personally. The only reason I feel confident giving this answer is because that’s what everyone, I mean everyone, has told me. If you are worried about safety, cost, academics, those are all valid concerns. Make sure to address them, but do not be intimidated. In the words of Sahil Rahman, “Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”

Student Spotlight: QRecruiting Special Edition

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Article by: Danny Laurence (Q19)

When Sophia asked me to write an article about myself because of my overwhelming popularity in the QUEST program, I was honored but I had to decline. Letting out the secret of my success would ruin the whole “Danny” product line. You see, it started from a humble beginning in Annandale, VA. My parents had decided to design the best product they could think of – a brand new little boy (to keep my brother company!). Then I came along.

Throughout grade school, I had an interest in all things computing: Power Point presentations, Zynga, and even some programming. Computer science really has been my love and passion for many years. In high school (which I attended with QUEST’s own Aditya Sridhar), I played football and put shot (placed 5th at states! And there is no typo, you are not throwing the shot, you are putting it), in addition to being on the 1000+ clubs that everyone does in high school. I have to throw a shout out to the International Baccalaureate program at my school; it really helped prepare me for college classes.

Danny Laurence (left) with Aditya Sridhar (both Q19) at their high school graduation

When it came time to choose colleges, I was at a loss. I searched around for schools, but I honestly didn’t know where to start. My parents were no help, as they didn’t want to make any decisions for me. I applied to the usual schools- Vtech, UVA, UNC. After a conversation with a UMD grad that taught at my school, I decided to look up the specifics about the college. After seeing the Computer Science School was consistently in the top 20 (basically the first state school), I knew that I had to come to the campus to check it out.
From the second I stepped onto campus, I thought, “Wow, this campus makes no sense what-so-ever.” We were on the mall, then we crossed a street, now we are in a parking garage? I was lost, but I was also lost in my own feeling of belonging. I knew that this is where I needed to be.

I got into all the schools I applied to, but UMD was the school for me. In the fall, we loaded up the car and drove here to start my freshman year. The rest is not history, however.

It’s now time to reveal the big reason that I got involved in QUEST… drum roll please: my roommate, Aditya. Yes, during our freshman year, Aditya would read every email sent to him by the engineering department. One happened to be a QUEST recruiting email so we decided to apply, after attending one of the amazing QUEST recruiting information sessions. (Staring Allison Cowley, Michelle Fried, and Varisha Parikh.) This information session is a big reason I decided to join QUEST recruiting. (Get your applications done!)

I’d like to take a moment to express my gratitude to everyone involved with the QUEST program. It really is a home away from home- I’m sure that if I had never joined, I wouldn’t have enjoyed college as much as I have.

I’d also like to give a special shout out to my parents. Love you, Mom and Dad!

Graduate Certificate of Professional Studies in Cybersecurity Leadership

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Wish your professional team could have a QUEST experience? Maybe they can…

Have you heard about the new Graduate Certificate of Professional Studies in Cybersecurity Leadership that the University of Maryland College Park is launching this fall? Like QUEST, this program draws on the strengths of the Robert H. Smith School of Business and the A. James Clark of Engineering. Participants in the three month program will also benefit from teaching from Public Policy and Maryland Cyber Center faculty. The program equips people to work in the business of cybersecurity, helping information technology specialists to develop strategic thinking and leadership communications skills to supplement their cyber smarts. It is ideal for IT people who’d like to step away from the computer monitor to take on general management responsibilities. We hope that you may be interested in knowing more, and in enrolling a number of people from your teams.

Courses include: Systems Thinking and Design (taught by QUEST director Dr. Joe Bailey), Federal IT Acquisition, Cybersecurity Technology, ICT Supply Chain Risk Management and a highly experiential capstone. The directors of the program are Hart Rossman, Principle Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services (former CTO at SAIC) and Smith faculty member Dr Sandor Boyson, Principal Investigator of the ICT SCRM Community Framework Development Project recently published by NIST.

The program begins with a bootcamp at our College Park campus on October 20, 2012 and the courses above will be supplemented by careers and clearance advice, plus sessions on leadership competencies ranging from innovation management to collaboration.

If you would like to know more about the program, please contact Liz Barron 301 405 5387 or lbarron@rhsmith.umd.edu. We anticipate an initial cohort of 20 students and are already working with defense and intelligence agencies and contractors to ensure a strong class for the fall. We very much hope to include friends of QUEST and look forward to working with you to see how the University of Maryland College Park can support your organization’s cybersecurity development needs.

Student Spotlight: QRecruiting Special Edition

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Article by: Josh Kohn (Q18)

Hello, QUEST. My name is Josh Kohn and I am a senior Computer Science major in Cohort 18. I started out as a QUEST ambassador in my sophomore year, but I am so glad I was able to join the Recruiting team last year. One of the things I enjoy the most about the Recruiting team is our creativity. Whether it’s creating interesting activities for the QUEST interviews or painting Cornhole boards for Maryland Day, we have a lot of fun thinking of new ways to enhance our recruiting process. I was really excited about how well the QUEST Oscars / Superlatives went and I can’t wait to see how it turns out this year. My primary goal for the Recruiting team for this year is to get QUEST ambassadors at Maryland prospective student events in addition to our Open Houses for current students. I know one of the reasons I chose Maryland is that a recruiter told me about the program and I couldn’t find another program like it. While we do a good job of getting our name out to current students, I believe this is an area of untapped potential to get more great applicants to the program. Be on the lookout for news about the first QUEST Ambassadors meeting of the semester – I hope to see you all there.

LeaderShape: Reflections from Q19 Attendees

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Article by: Aditya Sridhar (Q19) and Shirley Han (Q19)

Aditya Sridhar (left) and Shirley Han enjoy their time in Lake Tahoe while attending LeaderShape

“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” – Dr. Samuel Johnson, writer, lexicographer

Hi QUEST!

We hope you enjoyed your summer! This is Aditya Sridhar, Engineering Representative of QSO, and Shirley Han, of the QUEST Recruiting Team, and this summer we were sponsored by QUEST to attend the LeaderShape Institute in Tahoe City, California. LeaderShape is a six day intensive leadership training program focused on community building, personal discovery, vision development, and leading with integrity. A total of approximately 60 student leaders from across the country participated in our session. From this amazing experience we were able to explore the Lake Tahoe area, meet new people, and make lasting connections with the participants and staff. LeaderShape Institute follows its own comprehensive curriculum which consists of lesson plans, activities, and discussions, which ultimately leads to creating our own “Breakthrough Blueprint”, or a commitment to action after attending the session. Here is a short summary of our experiences throughout the week and some key takeaways we would like to share with everyone in QUEST.

The first two days at LeaderShape were primarily focused on self-examination and how that can be used to better relate with other people in order to be a more effective leader. Thus, we were expected to be vulnerable and “go against the grain” for the rest of the week so that we could improve and grow as leaders. One of the activities included each of us sharing a personal story to a group of 10 “family cluster” members. This process helped us examine our own personal values and allowed us to easily find commonalities and differences with the other members, thus helping build a closer knit community. At the end of this deep and heavy session filled with a lot of emotions, we were suggested to reflect on what we had just experienced. Additionally, we were expected to keep all our judgments and preconceived notions about ourselves and others aside for the upcoming week, as that may hinder our quest to become better leaders. At another point in Day Two, we were asked to examine ourselves in the group setting and come up with something that we would like to do differently. Each of us had to choose something that would be outside our comfort-zone and that our family cluster could hold us accountable for during the rest of the week. This taught us the importance of always recognizing what we are comfortable with, and knowing that we learn most by putting ourselves in situations that we are challenged in.

Once we recognized the diversity of the group we would be working with, we needed to learn more about everyone’s personalities as leaders. We were put in several activities throughout the outdoor challenge course to get a better sense of how we fit in and what we can do to make the team better. In addition, we were then asked to complete the DiSC© assessment in order to figure out exactly what type of leaders we are in a particular setting. From this assessment we also realized that each of us have different qualities and that we may need to change how we act depending on who was in our group and what we would like to accomplish. Most importantly, we learned that as leaders we need to be able to actively listen and empathize with everyone in order to make everyone feel a part of the group. One of the most interesting sessions was a discussion with our family cluster where we were asked to describe times when we had knowingly discriminated against a group of individuals or saw something similar and decided not to take action. Everyone seemed to have times when they have felt a prejudice toward a group of people or have had thoughts that did not necessarily seem very inclusive. These were hard things to share, but at the same time it helped us realize that even the people with the best intent may not always be doing the right thing. With all this in mind, we were expected to see the humanity in one another in order to help us lead others better by empathizing, listening, and challenging each others’ views of the world.

After learning more about ourselves and how to lead others, we focused on creating visions that we were personally passionate about. LeaderShape really encouraged “the world of possibility”, thus, we further developed our individual visions by breaking down our visions to determine the root cause for why we were so passionate about our causes. Additionally, we were able to “showcase” our visions to the other participants and staff. It was an amazing and inspiring experience to see the diverse range and scope of all the participants’ visions. Aditya’s vision was focused on promoting sustainability and clean energy while Shirley’s vision was directed towards improving childhood literacy rates globally LeaderShape also taught us how to “bring our visions to reality” by helping us determine our goals and also how to share our visions with others. In QUEST, we share and learn about people changing the world by doing great things (evidenced by the nonstop posts in the QUEST Facebook group). Even though LeaderShape encourages leaders to share their visions of the world, it emphasizes the importance of inspiring others to join in helping your vision become a reality. LeaderShape promotes that we can change the world as long as we commit to our causes and encourage others to do the same.

We ended the week learning about the significance of leading with integrity. Although the world needs leaders, more importantly, we need ethical leaders. Thus, we learned about ethics and determined our individual core values. Additionally, we were put into hypothetical situations in which our personal ethics were challenged and learned tips of how to deal with difficult ethical dilemmas. In a perfect world, all leaders would lead with integrity. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people are willing to compromise ethics in order gain an unfair advantage over others (like those involved in Enron, Worldcomm, Tyco etc.). Thus, as future leaders, we should all aspire to be ethical leaders and promote leading with integrity inside and outside the classroom.

As much as we want to share our LeaderShape experiences with others, ultimately the change in leadership can only happen if we use these lessons and turn them into practice. Our hope is that this article and our experiences will inspire you to be curious about LeaderShape as well as give you a sense of what constitutes being a better leader. We believe that some of the important things to take away are the ideas of active listening, empathy towards everyone, and leading with integrity. We also included a quick list of actions that you all can implement in order to improve yourselves as leaders. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about LeaderShape, our experiences, or have a vision you would like you share (we would love to be active listeners!). Both of us are also open to any feedback and are willing to help anyone in becoming a better leader.

6 Key Takeaways From LeaderShape Institute
1. Tailor your leadership style based on the environment and people involved.
2. Always attempt to put yourself in situations that you are not comfortable with.
3. Be enthusiastic about your causes/visions and stay true to your values.
4. Smile and attempt to thank at least one person every day.
5. Be a good, active listener but also be aware of who you are speaking to.
6. Avoid making leadership decisions based on preconceived notions.

Cohort 20 Orientation

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Article by: Nicole Blahut (Q20)

From August 23rd to 24th, QUEST Cohort 20 got to experience the much cherished QUEST Camp in Harrisonburg, Virginia at the Outdoor Learning Center at Camp Horizons.

The cohort made their way to the buses backpack, sleeping bag, and cardboard box in hand, unsure what to expect on this trip. Some even feared they’d be forced to sleep in the box!

For half the students, the day began with a not so perfect bus ride. The intended movie, Invictus, kept cutting back and forth to different scenes. It was later discovered that the device had been set to shuffle. Luckily, most students didn’t notice because they were busy catching up with old friends, creating new ones, or taking a much needed nap.

The first day at camp included great team bonding exercises, fun ice breakers, and the very memorable ropes course. Many got the chance to strap on a harness and helmet and walk from tree to tree then zipline down through the woods. Even the students who chose to stick to the ground had a great time. “Cheering on my friends and acting as their belay was a lot of fun,” said Hannah Buehler. She also wasn’t hesitant to brag about her ballin’ belay skillz. Overall, this thrilling exercise taught the cohort a lot about themselves by overcoming challenges and trusting their team.

Q20 students high in the sky during high ropes

After rotating through all the different activities, all the teams were brought together to perform their pilot product skits. To name just a few, there was apparel to repel bugs, tents shaped like bears, and shoes that gave a foot massage. But, after a lot of deliberation, QSO chose Soundies as the winner, a new brand of sound-proof underwear.

"Future Fridge" is showcased during the Pilot Products presentations

Unlike last year, the weather was almost perfect with the exception of the light rain during the scheduled bonfire. But never expect QUEST to let some rain stop them from singing campfire songs! Dr. Bailey even led a song about Joe, the button factory worker.

Most students would probably say the best part of the camp was the Rafts Ahoy competition on the second day. Teams were expected to make a functional raft out of merely 4 cardboard boxes, a roll of tape, 2 trash bags, and a water noodle. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough tape for team Delta, so their sister team SleeQ Geek came to the rescue and let them combine tape and teams. After an hour of strategizing and building, the teams were ready to test out their rafts. While most failed to stay afloat, all the paddlers made a great effort to cross the lake. Overcoming adversity, the sister teams SleeQ Geek and Delta had the fastest raft. Although they didn’t have the fastest time, Team Questletes had an extremely impressive canoe; it was the only one of its kind to successfully make its way across the lake.

Mickey Alemayehu of team QUESTletes navigates across the lake at Camp Horizons

As the students concluded their orientation, they made their way back on the buses with great memories and new friendships. After seeing the creative pilot products and rafts the teams created, it can be safely assumed that great things can be expected from Cohort 20.

Alumni Profile: Megan Harvey (Q14)

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Interview Conducted by Sophia Wu (Q18)

Please tell us a little bit about yourself!
I’m a QUEST alum from Cohort 14 and also a member of the QUEST Alumni board. I majored in Finance and Operations Management at UMD, and spent the first 2.5 years of my career working for Deloitte Consulting in Strategy & Operations. I’m now taking a turn in my career, and will be heading back to school to get my MBA from Kellogg in the fall.

Megan Harvey (Q14) makes a new friend in Africa


I understand you are currently working in Kenya. What type of work are you doing?

Megan at work in East Africa (seated, second from left)

I’m currently taking a break from corporate America to try to give back some of my skills to people who can really benefit! I’m working for TechnoServe on the East Africa Dairy Development program, which has been helping to stand up dairy farmer businesses in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda for the past few years; specifically, I’m working to improve the methodology for evaluating the dairy farmer co-ops. The goal is to build a tool so that the program can measure performance gaps, determine what needs to be done for the businesses to operate sustainably, and then to put together guidelines and materials for the process of the dairy businesses exiting from the program. I’m hoping to get it right so no farmer businesses fail without the program support.

Have the skills you’ve acquired from being in QUEST helped you in your career? If yes, how?
QUEST was great preparation for the working world. I was lucky enough to do a lot of work in my first few years in supply chain and manufacturing, so I actually used tools from the Quality Handbook at work. That being said, the experience in QUEST learning to working in teams, be accountable for deadlines, and present findings and recommendations provided me the most valuable skills I took from the program.

What is your favorite QUEST memory?
I had such a great time in QUEST it’s hard to pick one. But if you go through the archives of the QUEST 490 teams, I think my team’s photo shows what a great time we were having! The 490 experience made a lasting impact on my college career.

In your opinion, what was the most important lesson you learned in QUEST?
My most important lesson was that my way of approaching a problem, managing a project, and developing a solution differed greatly from my peers. I’m lucky to have learned how valuable it is to understand others’ perspectives early on, because my effort to take the time to ask my clients’ opinions and capitalize on their perspectives has set me apart in my career. Clients love to talk to me (and in doing so sometimes do my work for me!) because I listen and relate to them.

What advice would you give current QUEST students?
1. Take risks! College is a safe environment, so don’t be afraid to try something that isn’t on the syllabus, or use the time you have to seek out areas of interest. QUEST specifically is a safe academic environment, so you can use your QUEST projects to experiment, be creative, and really stretch your boundaries. If you’re not afraid to try and put in the effort, you really can do some amazing things!
2. Learn how to tell the story of your QUEST experience – and your story. What you’ve done in QUEST with your teamwork, project experience, and application of skills to a real-world problem will set you apart with any future employer if you can articulate it well.