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QUEST Community, say hello to Cohorts 31 and 32! Cohorts 31 and 32, welcome to QUEST. It was just a couple days ago that the Quality Guild released the names of the ninety students admitted to our diverse, innovative, and challenging program, and we’re excited to introduce them to the rest of the community. I’ve reached out to four of our new members to learn more about what made them interested in QUEST, how they feel QUEST will impact their with future goals, and what other things they are involved with on campus.
When I asked about why the students were attracted to QUEST, one thing everyone had in common was that they were fascinated with the interdisciplinary aspect of the program and that they wished to expand their mindsets beyond those of their current majors. Amy Odenthal, a Clark student in Cohort 32, mentioned that she believes “working with students from three different schools will allow [her] to develop a more well-rounded perspective towards problem solving.” Uday Warier, a computer science major in Cohort 31, shared a similar standpoint and said that he “wants a way to work with people of different majors and skillsets.”
“Working with students from three different schools will allow me to develop a more well-rounded perspective towards problem solving.” -Amy Odenthal (Q32)
Many of the new students in Cohorts 31 and 32 have a strong presence on campus through various clubs and organizations, which is great since QUEST has such a strong focus on community. Involvement with the program outside of a classroom setting is a large part of what makes a QUEST student successful, so it’s great that our new additions are familiar with making a contribution to a community! Jeremy Rosenblatt from Cohort 31 is an engineer who represents the freshman class for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and manages consulting projects for TAMID, an organization that introduces students to consulting and then gives them opportunities to consult for Israeli start-ups. Jeremy says that managing the time he invests is “certainly a challenge, but [he finds] it really rewarding.” Dillyn Payne, an engineer in Cohort 32, stays busy by participating in Engineers Without Borders and Catholic Terps, doing financial planning for TerpThon, and interning at an electrical engineering company. Dillyn believes it is crucial for students to be involved in various activities since it “provides various opportunities for students to become better leaders and gain experience with how the world works outside of school.”
“[Involvement in extracurriculars] provides various opportunities for students to become better leaders and gain experience with how the world works outside of school.” -Dillyn Payne (Q32)
QUEST gives students the chance to engage with people from different backgrounds, provides opportunities for community involvement, and helps students navigate team dynamics and how the world around us works. But how does this help students in the real world after they graduate? Uday Warier says that “by becoming familiar with people from a variety of different backgrounds, it will be easier for [him] to create things that change the world and help the community through [his] career.” Jeremy Rosenblatt wishes to work in the biopharmaceutical industry and believes that “the interdisciplinary teamwork experience QUEST provides will be invaluable to [his] career” because “the industry is inherently interdisciplinary and runs entirely on scientific progress.” Amy Odenthal hopes to combine both technical and business concepts in her career and believes that QUEST will help her “learn more about the interdependence of the two fields.” Dillyn Payne wants to work for an organization that “challenges its employees to create innovative solutions to problems that may have many restrictions” and believes that QUEST will help her “become a better leader, critical thinker, and innovator,” all of which are necessary to succeed as an engineer!
“The interdisciplinary teamwork experience QUEST provides will be invaluable to my career.” -Jeremy Rosenblatt (Q31)
It was definitely refreshing to hear about the aspirations and goals these students have for their futures and how they believe QUEST will help them achieve them! Ambition is something that all QUEST students have in common, and the program’s goal is to help our ambitions become realities. My advice for the fellow cohorts is that it’s never too early to get involved. Make the most of your new community by getting swipe access for the lab, exploring our different student organizations, and staying up-to-date with our newsletters! You can have an impact even before you take your first QUEST class, so get on out there and make the rest of us proud.
Congrats to all of the new members of Cohorts 31 and 32!
