WARTBURG MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2025 ISSUE

Perfect Pair

Inaugural mentorship program connects alumni with students

Sept. 2, 2025

Jen Bye Christy ’89 knows the value of a good mentoring relationship.

“Mentoring is something that I love to do,” said Christy. “I just think it’s a really great way to give back to the next generation or share your wisdom.”

When the Knight Nation program was looking for its first group of mentors, she jumped at the chance and was paired with Natalie Thiesfeld ’27, a sociology and political science major from St. Bonifacius, Minn.

“You have this bubble here at college, obviously, but it’s like, how do I get to that next step? That’s your career that you’re chasing after this whole time,” said Thiesfeld. “I really wanted to work on my resumé and also gain experience and insight from someone who’s in a working profession. This is obviously an opportunity that not a lot of people get.”

After being paired, Christy and Thiesfeld met virtually once a week for eight weeks, each meeting lasting about an hour. Discussion questions are provided as starting topics for each meeting.

Thiesfeld plans to go into law — she recently interned in Des Moines with the division of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office that handles sexual assault — while Christy’s background is in accounting and project management. That was not an obstacle to a good mentoring relationship, however.

“You may not get someone who’s in your direct field, but there’s still so much to gain and to learn from it,” said Thiesfeld. “I would really recommend this program to anyone, especially people who don’t know what they want to do yet in their career but want to connect with someone and have networking opportunities.”

Once Christy and Thiesfeld determined they were both in the Des Moines area, they started making plans to meet in person.

“I lived pretty close to Drake and so I was talking to her about wanting to go see a game and she was like, ‘Have you seen one yet?’ I told her I hadn’t and she was like, ‘Well, I already bought tickets,’ and that’s just really the person she is,” Thiesfeld
said. “We watched the game, they won, it was great!”

“You have this bubble here at college, obviously,
but it’s like, how do I get to that next step?”

– Natalie Thiesfeld ’27

In addition to the social outing, Thiesfeld was invited to tour Christy’s workplace, Principal Financial Group, and meet with the corporate attorneys there.

“She’s just a great person to have in my corner, and I’m super grateful for it,” Thiesfeld said.

“It’s always nice to have a person you can check in with,” said Christy. “I also find in my mentoring relationships I learn just as much from them as I hope they’re learning from me.”

What did Christy learn this time around?

“I look at Natalie and think, ‘Did I have that much willingness to take a risk like she’s doing at that age?’” noting that Thiesfeld moved on her own to Des Moines for an  internship that deals with some serious subject matter.

“I’m amazed at what a lot of students today want to go out and do in the world, what they’re already doing, and how articulate they are. They are ready to go out and conquer the world, and they have the skills and they’re sharp. And so I feel like we’re in good hands going forward.”

Thiesfeld’s biggest takeaway?

“Advocate for yourself,” she said. “If you’re in a certain role and you want to learn about another one, ask about it even if you don’t have the skills. Jen was able to learn through her job and get an experience that she really wanted. Being able to do that myself is something that I would love.”

And this experience has already convinced Thiesfeld of the value of mentoring.

“I hope down the line, I can become a mentor for someone else too,” said Thiesfeld. “So full circle, just so cool.”