QUEST Students Explore Innovation in Silicon Valley During Spring Break 2026

During spring break, students in the University of Maryland’s QUEST Honors Program immersed themselves in the heart of the tech industry, traveling to Silicon Valley to explore innovation, engineering and entrepreneurship. The March 14–21 trip was part of the program’s Design and Innovation in Silicon Valley elective course.

It brought 20 students inside some of the world’s most influential technology companies while strengthening connections with UMD alumni who are shaping the region’s tech landscape.

The students visited more than 10 companies, including Google, Apple, Meta, LinkedIn, Waymo, Nuro, Salesforce and Pinterest. At each stop, they met with engineers, product managers and data scientists — many of them QUEST or Smith alumni—who offered firsthand perspectives on emerging technologies and the skills needed to thrive in fast‑moving innovation environments.

Among these alums was Salesforce Enterprise Accounts Director Greg Kaye ’02. “Supporting the QUEST program today is my way of honoring the foundation it gave me, ensuring today’s students have a diverse perspective to make the right decisions for themselves,” he says.

The itinerary blended corporate visits with hands‑on learning experiences. Students participated in career panels, engaged in a fireside chat with the CEO of DataRobot, and took part in a “vibe‑coding” competition at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters. Conversations throughout the week covered AI, autonomous systems, product engineering and the evolving role of multidisciplinary teams in solving complex problems.

Smith participant Michelle Sun, a double major in information systems and operations management and business analytics, says the trip “was an incredibly rewarding experience" regarding exploring career options. “Growing up on the East Coast and not having a lot of exposure to industry in the West, I really wanted to go on this trip to expand my horizons and make connections,” she says. “Not only was it super cool visiting these companies and getting an inside scoop into their day-to-day operations, but I also learned a lot specifically about how AI is rapidly changing the workplace, which was invaluable insight as a business major who is not as exposed to AI’s capabilities as some other disciplines.”

QUEST—which admits students from the Robert H. Smith School of Business, A. James Clark School of Engineering, and College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences—has emphasized experiential, cross‑disciplinary learning since its founding in 1992. Originally launched as an IBM‑funded initiative to promote total quality management and systems thinking, the program has grown into a five‑course curriculum that brings together students from business, engineering and the sciences to work on real‑world projects with corporate, nonprofit and government partners.

QUEST Associate Director Jessica Roffe says trips like the Silicon Valley experience reflect the program’s long‑standing commitment to reality‑based learning. “QUEST pairs classroom concepts with hands-on application, from supply chain optimization projects for Lockheed Martin to process improvement initiatives for on-campus departments. The spring break trip extends this by placing students directly inside the companies driving global technological change.”

As QUEST continues to evolve, “the Silicon Valley trip is a strong example of how the Smith School prepares students to lead in environments where innovation, analytics and interdisciplinary collaboration intersect,” Roffe says. “For the 2026 group of students, the week offered not only a window into the future of technology but also a powerful reminder of the Terp network shaping it.”

Sun adds, “Beyond the career insight I’ve gained from this trip, it was also extremely memorable for the connections I’ve made with my peers and the QUEST faculty and staff. Going into the trip, I only knew one person, but coming out of it, I’ve made so many close friends and amazing memories."