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Student Organizations
QUEST STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Our seven QUEST student organizations remained committed to building meaningful experiences for our students outside of the classroom this year, pivoting to virtual events for most of the year and a few safe outdoor activities towards the end of the year. Below is an overview of each.
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QUEST CORPORATE
The QUEST Corporate student committee plans events to connect students with corporate partners and alumni and help prepare them for opportunities in the professional world. This year, QUEST Corporate hosted its sixth annual (and first virtual) networking event, with 30 companies and 138 students in attendance. Even in the virtual environment, QUEST Corporate was committed to delivering students with several new opportunities for professional development. These initiatives included mock interviews, a mentorship program between alumni and students, a career paths night, and an event focused on international opportunities. “Our team is dedicated to creating a space for students to continue developing their professional and personal skills outside of the classroom. With events focused on topics like networking and interview prep, we help students build a toolbox that allows them to succeed in any path they choose!” said QUEST Corporate co-lead Alvina Pan, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics ‘21 (Cohort 32).
QUESTSERVES
As QUEST’s newest student organization, QUESTServes works to connect QUEST students with local communities by providing opportunities to engage, enrich, and empower others through outreach, leadership, and service. Over the past year, the QUESTServes team partnered with Knock Knock Give a Sock to plan and execute a sock donation campaign where they received over 500 pairs of socks to donate to local homeless shelters and celebrated Earth Day by planting trees on campus with the UMD Arboretum. They are also planning the first annual QUEST 5K to be hosted during the fall 2021 semester. When sharing his experience about joining QUESTServes during the pandemic, Ryan Goodman, finance ‘23 (Cohort 36), said, “Finding a way to do good and give back with QUESTServes to the local community during such a trying time was really special to me.”
QUEST CREATIVE
QUEST Creative provides all QUEST students with a creative outlet. This year, QUEST Creative collaborated with QUEST Social to develop a virtual MasterClass series for the community, led by program alumni and staff. They also helped plan QUEST’s first in-person event of the year, the QUEST Picnic. QUEST Creative co-lead, Vivek Banerjee, computer science ‘22 (Cohort 34), said, “QUEST Creative gives me the chance to connect and give back to the community that has done so much for me through art and design! With the dedication of the amazing QUEST Creative and QUEST Social members, QUEST had one of the most successful and heart-warming picnics I could've asked for!”
QUESTServes members partnered with the UMD Arboretum to plant trees on campus in April
QUEST RECRUITING
QUEST Recruiting continues to serve as one of the best avenues to promote the QUEST program because of the dedication of each member, especially with this year’s transition to virtual marketing. In place of the usual in-person information sessions, QUEST Recruiting members hosted four virtual information sessions that each drew over 70 prospective students. The QUEST Recruiting team also piloted the new QUEST Ambassadors program, which allows a larger number of students to assist during the recruitment and selection process. Co-lead
Kevin Senkus, mechanical engineering, ’22 (Cohort
34), shared, "I love being a part of QUEST Recruiting because I can share so many of the amazing things about QUEST with prospective students. Even in a virtual setting this past year, I am so happy and proud of our team for adapting and overcoming the many challenges that were thrown at us."
QUESTECH
QUESTech provides opportunities for all students, regardless of their major, to learn about new and innovative technology. This year, QUESTech members leveraged the online environment by focusing on both internal and external events such as creating the QUEST intranet and planning QUEST’s firstannual Datathon. As co-lead Tania Arya, computer science ‘22 (Cohort 33), explained, "QUESTech really allows people of all different backgrounds to come together and work together towards a common goal of immersing the QUEST community in new technologies. Despite being virtual, we were able to successfully put on many events, including QUEST's first-annual Datathon!"
QUESTPRESS
Students on the QUESTPress committee are dedicated to sharing the stories of the QUEST community. The students publish a monthly newsletter for QUEST students, alumni, parents, corporate partners, university affiliates, and friends. According to editor Christina Giovanazi,
finance and operations management & business
analytics ‘21 (Cohort 31), “Joining QUESTPress has given me the opportunity to speak with students and alumni from all different fields of study and industries. It’s fascinating to hear their perspectives, and I love writing stories that can inspire the QUEST community.” Read the latest edition of QUESTPress at blog.umd.edu/questpress.
QUEST SOCIAL
QUEST Social strives to build community amongst the entire QUEST program, connecting current students and alumni alike. Despite the pandemic’s impact across campus, QUEST Social collaborated with other student organizations to plan virtual and in-person events that kept the QUEST community as strong as ever. In addition to developing a new MasterClass series, QUEST Social also adapted the annual QUEST formal to a socially-distanced QUEST Picnic and strengthened their Big/Little program. When looking back on the past year, co-lead Sofia Bhalwani, psychology ‘22 (Cohort 34), shared, “QUEST Social was able to accomplish a great deal this year, and it wouldn't have happened without my wonderful co-leads and our amazing board!”
