I transferred to Quest University in the Fall of 2021 from a university in the U.S.
After leaving my first university, I wasn’t sure that I ever wanted to go back to school.
However, when I got to Quest, despite it having less than 200 total students and only 30 other first years, I was hooked. I knew that I wanted to stay and graduate from Quest.
There is so much passion, creativity and excitement in the Quest community. I constantly feel inspired by my friends and professors.
Malika Bindra, a fourth-year student at Quest who will be graduating in April, is devastated that such a wonderful community and school won’t continue past this spring.
Last month, it was announced Quest University is indefinitely pausing its academic programming at the end of this semester due to a lack of funding.
“Quest has a really special education model that makes people equipped to solve the problems of the world. [They] want to make a difference … within themselves and their community,” said Bindra. I’m really sad because I feel like the community of Squamish is going to be missing something without the community of Quest. I optimistically hope that one day something like Quest can be back in Squamish.”
I have heard from numerous Quest alums and students that after finishing some of their Quest classes, their entire view of the world was changed.
I have never been a “school person,” but my Quest classes have made me feel like one for the first time in my life.
Keenan Miles, another fourth-year student who will be graduating in April, said that even if he knew Quest would close before he came to the school four years ago, he still would’ve chosen Quest over any other University.
“I think the Quest education was the best education I could have gotten. I’m not sure what happened at the higher-up level, but the education is definitely not the problem,” Miles stated.
Isaac Schmidt is a fourth-year student who is upset he won’t be graduating with many of his friends this April but will be transferring to Prescott College in Arizona in the fall.
“It sucks for all the students involved and all the teachers involved having this bombshell dropped and having to refigure out our whole lives. Whether that’s transferring to a new school, out of Canada, out of Squamish, or finding a new job, it’s really just unfortunate,” Schmidt said.
With Quest shutting its doors, I will be packing my bags at the end of April and leaving Squamish to finish my degree at Prescott College, along with many other current students.
Quest University is a truly special place. I feel incredibly grateful for the past two years I have spent here.
As Bindra said, “I’m just happy to have gone to Quest.”
Emily Stamper is a third-year Quest student who is currently interning at The Squamish Chief.
