It is the time of the year when high school seniors are putting together their college applications. In this edition of Bay Area Proud, Garvin Thomas shows how a new fast-growing group is helping parents navigate the system and the stress.
When the first Chai With Moms meetings were held about a year ago, in Soma Sengupta’s living room, a small card table could have easily accommodated all who gathered.
That’s no longer the case.
“(We went) from five mothers who were part of that initial group to 1,500,” Sengupta said.
Aparna Seethepalli and Shauli Chaudhuri were in those original meetings with Sengupta. The three mothers had begun meeting over chai to talk about their lives, their children, and most pressing, the complex process of applying to college.
The women realized that when they combined their knowledge and experiences the process seemed less daunting.
“I went from being isolated and afraid and scared about how I was going to navigate as a mom,” Seethepalli said. “To being the person who's saying, ‘we got this, we can do this together and if we join forces, we can accomplish anything.’ ”
As word spread, more mothers wanted to join the community and seek guidance. Seethepalli said mothers were discovering they weren’t alone in their struggles.
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“We are offering them an opportunity, a platform to come together and actually say, gosh, it's okay to not know everything and there's somebody just like me out here,” Seethepalli said.
Open to mothers of middle and high school students, the group discusses everything from selecting college counselors to the costs of a good tutor. New chapters opened in different cities across the Bay Area to meet the demand.
Last month, Chai with Moms hosted its first conference, attracting 250 moms and featuring panels with mental health experts and current college students. Additionally, their weekly “Ask Us Anything” video calls regularly gather nearly 100 participants.
