From One Jack to Another

On paper, it might not seem like Vanessa Klemme VanDeWiele ’00 and Daewon Kim ’25 have all that much in common.

Vanessa’s an alum hailing from the Akron/Spink area, while Daewon’s an international student from South Korea. Daewon recently graduated in December 2025 while Vanessa’s a Client Relationship Manager at CorTrust Bank who’s been in the workforce for years. In any other circumstances, the two may never have crossed paths. With the SDSU Alumni Mentor Program, unique pairings like Vanessa and Daewon can find common ground through South Dakota State. 

At its core, the alumni mentor program is designed to connect Jackrabbits who have similar passions and career paths but may come from different walks of life. The program carefully matches SDSU alumni currently in the workforce with students who have an interest in pursuing a similar profession or field. Over the course of the program which runs from October through April each year, the pairings are encouraged to follow a curriculum offered by the SDSU Alumni & Foundation that cultivates invaluable experiential learning, personal and professional development, and, in many cases, a lasting friendship.  

While the time commitment is minimal, pairs have the freedom to explore opportunities to connect beyond the suggested parameters, meeting and interacting as frequently as they choose. From in-person activities to quick check-ins by phone or email, participants forge an enduring bond as student Jackrabbits learn from leaders in their desired field and alumni reconnect with their alma mater in a new and meaningful way. Students often gain pivotal insight to what real life is like beyond the classroom while alumni have the chance to act as a trusted guide to open doors, foster growth, and lend professional advice throughout the program. 

Though their life circumstances are vastly different, Vanessa and Daewon found common parallels between their experiences at SDSU. For both, college life was an entirely new world, a foreign territory they’d never encountered. New to the United States, Daewon experienced culture shock and struggled to close the gaps between life in South Korea and life in Brookings. Meanwhile, Vanessa’s years as a student were occupied by a completely different challenge: motherhood. Vanessa became pregnant early in her Jackrabbit experience, navigating her reality as a single mother while putting herself through school. In the face of Daewon’s international education and Vanessa’s crash course in adulthood, it would have been all too easy for both of them to give up on their college degrees. In similar shows of resilience and grit, the two leaned into the challenge and embraced all that SDSU had to offer.  

A business economics major with a minor in data science, Daewon knew he wanted to pursue finance. He also knew he wanted to learn things he couldn’t glean from a textbook, and Vanessa was an ideal candidate to show him the ropes. Navigating both professional and cultural differences was challenging for Daewon, and he’s grateful to Vanessa for taking him under her wing.  

In addition to the suggested activities for the program, Vanessa helped Daewon prepare for an internship interview, encouraging him to ask his own questions and providing pointers for his resume. He also had the chance to visit her office in the Cherapa Place development in Sioux Falls and kept in touch through regular phone calls. A self-professed introvert, Daewon was looking to get out of his shell beyond the classroom, and Vanessa had valuable insight into that goal, too. As his polar opposite and a die-hard Jackrabbit fan, she invited him to join her tailgating group, electric with yellow and blue energy at each home game. Daewon had never played beanbags before, and he viewed the experience as a perfect example of American (and SDSU) culture. “It was significantly helpful to get out of my comfort zone and practice networking,” he says.  

As a Client Relationship Manager, Vanessa understands the value of connections and networking in business. Following graduation, she first worked with Raymond James brokerage firm in Minneapolis before moving to Sioux Falls and joining CorTrust Bank. In her role with the bank over the last 12 years, no two days look exactly alike, a revolving roster of responsibilities like meeting with clients, weighing in on marketing pieces, assisting with 401k accounts, and more. It’s a job she deeply loves, and she’s proud of the journey that led her to where she is today – though she readily admits being a student in the alumni mentor program could have given her support when she needed it most.  

While the program may not have been an option back in 2000, Vanessa sees the program now as an opportunity to step in to be the mentor she wishes she’d had. Though Daewon graduated and is headed to graduate school for his master’s in finance, the two keep in contact. While Vanessa’s sticking with the program and plans on mentoring another student in the next cohort, her easy friendship and support for Daewon – or DK, as she’s nicknamed him, while he refers to her as ‘V’ – isn’t going anywhere. 

“It’s a game changer once you leave school, and it can be a scary world. Being a person students can look up to and having that trust factor and building that bond is so important,” she reflects. “It made my heart smile that he could come to me.”  

Though Vanessa and Daewon are a prime example of the impact the alumni mentor program can have, they’re just one example of many. On paper, the program is a premier opportunity for student mentees to gain skills and experience for the work environment, ready to kickstart their careers following graduation – but the benefits of the program for students and mentees alike translate beyond the professional or the academic. Since the program’s launch in 2022, the overwhelming enthusiasm for it certainly jumps off the page, and the results are clear: there are no better footsteps to follow in than a Jackrabbit’s, and there’s no better common ground to connect people than South Dakota State.