Devry Boughner Vorwerk Keynotes Minnetonka High School’s ‘25 VANTAGE Mentor Kickoff
Minnetonka High School launched the 2025 VANTAGE Mentor Kickoff in spirited fashion this week, with keynote speaker Devry Boughner Vorwerk, founder and CEO of DevryBV Sustainable Strategies, delivering a message that challenged students and mentors alike to embrace getting out of their comfort zone as the starting point for growth.
Devry took the stage to energizing music, urging the audience to get on their feet, shake off their morning fog, and get their bodies moving. “Made you uncomfortable, didn’t I?” she laughed, placing a fine point on the importance of making the most of the mentorship journey, and to do so mentors and mentees should get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Her opening brought the energy in the theater alive, reminding students that mentorship is not just about learning from someone else’s experiences—it’s about leaning into vulnerability, taking risks, putting yourself out there, and trying something new.
A Program That’s Grown with Purpose
The VANTAGE program has grown to record size as it celebrates its 13th year of connecting students with professionals across industries. What began with just 38 students has now expanded into a robust network of more than 620 students paired with 620 career mentors—a testament to the program’s success and growing impact.
Because even the school’s largest auditorium doesn’t accommodate that many people, Devry delivered her keynote twice, addressing different groups of students and mentors to ensure that every participant could take part in the kickoff experience.
The Power of “I See I”
In her remarks, Devry introduced the central theme for a successful mentor-mentee relationship, what she calls “I See I”—a vision and framework for building meaningful mentor-mentee relationships. The idea, she explained, is rooted in two parts:
SEE: Vision. The clarity to see ourselves and others more fully, and to recognize potential that may not yet be visible. Mentees need to begin visioning their career path, and mentors can help them see around corners, see opportunities, and see things in them that they may not see in themselves. Mentors can help mentees see the unseen.
ICI: Intent, Commitment, and Impact. Vision is nothing if not backed by intent, commitment, and a desire to impact the state of the world. ICI is a practical framework for bringing vision to fruition by setting shared goals, investing in the relationship, and creating lasting outcomes.
“When we see a vision for our future, act with intent, commit fully, and seek impact, we don’t just build careers—we build leaders,” Devry told the crowd.
A Shared Journey of Mentorship
For Devry, mentorship is more than a program—it’s a lifelong gift. She reflected on her own career and the mentors who shaped her journey, noting how each took the time to “see something in her” and encourage her to step into new challenges and opportunities. That same spirit, she said, is what fuels the VANTAGE program’s success: a cycle of guidance, trust, and stewardship that extends across generations.
With 1,240 individuals—students and mentors combined—now engaged in this year’s program, the kickoff set the stage for countless stories of growth, courage, and shared discovery in the months ahead.
As Devry closed, she left the audience with a call to action: “It all starts with Vision: ‘I See I’, and underpinning vision with a Framework: using the I C I framing. And reminding yourself that you must get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
Devry is recognized internationally as a business leader and communicator. She is the Founder and CEO of DevryBV Sustainable Strategies, an advisory firm she founded six years ago. Devry is also a well-known global food executive and corporate officer, having served in top positions at Cargill and Grubhub. In addition to her other roles, she is also a global business development and diplomacy strategist, as well as an expert in international trade relations.
Devry and her team at DevryBV Sustainable Strategies have been dedicated supporters of the VANTAGE program, sponsoring Sustainability Consulting groups and working with high school students to tackle big questions in sustainability and business.
