Advice with purple pride: WildcatLink connects students to K-State mentors
As a college student, preparing for the future can be both exciting and terrifying.
What will life look like after college? What is the best way to find a job? What steps
should a student take now to make the transition between college and their career
as smooth as possible?
K-State alumni have already walked this path, and many of them are eager to share
their wisdom (and purple pride!) with current students. WildcatLink is all about connecting
these K-Staters with students who are looking for mentors.
We recently visited with three K-State alumni mentors about how they joined the program
and why they’d encourage other K-Staters to get involved.
What inspired/motivated you to get involved with WildcatLink?
Dr. Lori Kautzman ’99, a transplant surgeon and current College of Arts and Sciences
mentor, was matched with her first mentee in fall 2022. She believes interacting with
students is vital for shaping the future of health care.
“It also increases my knowledge on the interests of youth joining the field of medicine
today to allow me to assist them better to succeed,” she said.
Grant Janke ’94, assistant vice president – network and capital planning at Union
Pacific Railroad, is a College of Business mentor. He has been working with WildcatLink
for over five years.
“I became involved in order to share some practical insights with the current student
population that I have learned throughout my career,” he said.
Scott Degan ’13 is the director of physical therapy at K-State’s Lafene Health Center
and a College of Health and Human Sciences mentor. He officially joined the program
in 2018, though he’s been involved with mentoring at K-State since he started working
at the university in 2016.
“I've always been passionate about 'paying it forward' — no one becomes successful
without help from others, so mentoring students is one way that I can pitch in,” he
said. “I was fortunate to have some great mentors while I was a student, and sometimes
it can be difficult to find that support system. I enjoy being a part of WildcatLink
to make it easier for students to get help.”
What are some of the tasks/responsibilities involved with being a mentor?
Kautzman meets with her mentee on a monthly basis, usually via FaceTime, to discuss
any questions the student has for her.
“These questions range from interview processes to how to juggle a busy career and
family life,” she said.
Janke said it is important for mentors to be good listeners and to provide support
and encouragement if the student is going through a challenging time. He recommends
“asking questions that your mentee may not be considering about a particular topic
in order to get them thinking.”
Degan notes that since each student has a different background and level of knowledge,
he tailors the mentorship to fit what they currently need.
“Since I mentor pre-physical therapy students, they typically appreciate meeting in-person
at our clinic,” he said. “This allows them to learn more about the profession while
also getting the required shadowing hours for their physical therapy school application.
The WildcatLink platform allows me to connect and communicate with the students online,
that way I can answer any questions quickly and easily.”
What are some of your favorite memories of working with students as a mentor?
“My favorite interaction was being able to meet the student in person at a tailgate
before the Texas game,” Kautzman said. “Unfortunately we lost but it was nice meeting
outside of a professional setting and getting to discuss personal interests.”
Janke said he enjoys helping students think through different scenarios and help them
develop a game plan for how they want to approach an opportunity or situation.
For Degan, it’s rewarding to hear the excitement from a student when they tell him
that they've been accepted into a physical therapy program.
“It takes a lot of hard work to achieve that goal, and it's so much fun to celebrate
that with them,” Degan said. “I also really enjoy the enthusiasm students bring to
our clinic while they're shadowing — especially when they connect what they're learning
in their classes with what is happening in the clinic (e.g. applying shoulder anatomy
from their Human Body class to a patient with a rotator cuff tear).”
Why would you encourage other alumni to get involved with this program?
Kautzman not only appreciates the opportunity to help a student — she said the program
also inspires her.
“I highly recommend becoming a mentor,” Kautzman said. “It has widened my perspective
on what youth expect today in my career, which is important for the future of medicine.
It also has reminded me of why I followed my path, which is refreshing during times
of burnout.”
For Janke, mentoring facilitates connections that could even lead to a future job
hire.
“First, it is a great way to give back to the college,” Janke said. “Providing practical
experience examples with the students can help reinforce what is being communicated
in the classroom. Second, if your organization is looking for new talent, you get
direct experience and exposure with the student(s), which might lead you to finding
someone that fits into your organization.”
“I think it’s an extremely rewarding opportunity to help these students,” Degan said.
“It’s hard to imagine picking a career without first observing what those professionals
do, or at the very least talking with a mentor who is in the field. To be able to
share all the valuable things we've learned on our professional journeys can truly
make an impact in a student's life.”