For my practicum, I participated in BMGT190H, the intro class to the QUEST Honors Program, where we learn the necessary skills for process improvement and design thinking skills. In this course, we have learned, in detail, many skills used in the improvement of processes within companies and organizations. Additionally, we have gained skills in problem-solving and visualizing processes.

I learned a great amount about solving process issues, articulating those issues, then crafting recommendations tailored to our client, all while understanding the professional requirements of being a client-facing individual.

I have grown as a leader, student, and professional throughout this experience. I was able to use all of the skills I learned in a hands-on environment with a real client. Additionally, I grew as a leader because in QUEST we always work in groups of 5. Although we did have a mentor, we were responsible for the facilitation of our assignments, scheduling times where we could all meet to complete assignments together, as well as making decisions for the clients. I uploaded our pilot presentation on a solution to a problem of our choice. I chose this example because it demonstrates the extent to which we fleshed out our problem and solution. My team spent an immense amount of time using design thinking and empathetic tactics to understand our problem of homelessness and create a tailored solution that both helps the community issues and is a profitable product.

I can apply these skills while working for a company that utilizes the same problem-solving and design thinking skills. Additionally, we spent a lot of time learning about professionalism while facing clients and making digestible presentations. These are all skills crucial to my career.

For the rest of my time at UMD, I will be completing my upper-level computer science classes and QUEST classes. I will be graduating a semester early and begin working as a software engineer in the spring of 2024. Then after a year or two of working, I will apply to law school. I have aspirations of becoming a patent attorney and working with the legal restrictions of technology.

Public leadership is often a very strong talking point when having interviews about my skills. I am able to speak about my education in Leadership tactics and discuss my hand on experience in the leadership of groups and clubs.