Notes from the practice

“We are part of Kala's High School Parent's support group from the last 3 years and have been attending various sessions organized by her. Indeed it helped us a lot to understand complex high school life and college admission process, kids and parents' psychology. Her mature thoughts and kind reminders are invaluable in keeping a balanced relationship with our kids. Her sessions revealed how kids' life is quite different here — we, as first gen immigrant parents, might not even be able to imagine those challenges and conflicts they face.”

“It's Fantastic. I joined with zero idea, but now understand the admission process, essays, volunteering, grades, Common App, FAFSA etc. Thank you for organizing this and bringing everyone together. The experience shared is extremely valuable.”

“Big Shoutout to Suryakala. It's not easy to do this on almost every weekend. Kudos to your hard work, prompt responses, follow ups and organizing all these events.”

“I appreciate the constant effort, follow up and information sharing. I have used topics from here to open up conversation with my kid. So thank you very much for that.”

“Each session is quite informative. Kudos to Suryakala for organizing these sessions and bringing it to all.”

“I really liked how you managed to schedule talks on various topics and have sessions where students shared their experiences. One can only take so much PowerPoint and often, it is better to see all the options out there and then chart your own course. I feel Kala did an excellent job of collecting and arranging sessions that address a wide variety of topics. Thanks, Kala.”

“The information provided in the sessions has really helped us. Thank you Suryakala for organizing these sessions and bringing speakers to talk about different topics. I am sure a lot of work went into organizing something like this.”

“Great resource of information Suryakala. Thanks for organizing and finding a topic and the right person to the forum to help the parents. Appreciate it.”

“Being new to the high school system and college admission system here, the information shared is extremely helpful. Not only the presentations on various topics but also promptly helping us with insights into various recommendations and sharing relevant contacts is very helpful.”

“Thanks for putting together this group and organizing various presentations on college prep related topics. This group of parents are also amazing and helping each other on high school and college prep related questions.”

“Very informative. Looking forward to upcoming sessions. I admire the variety of topics you are bringing in for the parents of this group. Appreciate your sincere effort.”

“The weekly sessions have been so useful. Parents sharing their first hand experience gave good insights on what parents go through along with how they navigated the admission process. I had no idea about the various research opportunities that kids do until I joined this group. Presentations from counselors provided clarity on what I can expect. Thanks a ton Kala.”

“Thank you for coming up with this group. This is a great source of information. It is great to get information from primary sources — students, counselors, teachers, and parents. I like that someone is always willing to share information — zoom links at a library, summer courses, intern opportunities etc. Thank you Kala!”

“These sessions have been so informative Kala! Your thoughtfulness and selflessness really shine through and I am so glad I joined this group. I had absolutely no idea on the process and aspects of college admissions here in the US. These sessions have provided a perspective of all the various aspects of admissions.”

“It's easy to reach out to this group for any school clarifications! All the sessions you arranged and conducted are very useful for us. We greatly appreciate you for this!”

“Thank you Kala for all your efforts and initiatives. One of the most helpful things for me was the parents and students sessions from our nearby schools, who talked about their own experiences — decisions they had to take, choices they made to reach the colleges they finally ended up choosing. I got the most insights from those sessions, especially on the counselors they used, why they chose certain extracurriculars, and why they did or did not choose certain APs.”

“The sessions are exceptionally informative, especially those involving both parents and students. Hearing insights from parents provides a comprehensive understanding of what to anticipate. Thank you.”

“Thank you Kala, for the effort, time and care you take to organize these sessions. You made sure different aspects of college prep were covered. Most helpful was hearing from actual students and their parents. And one thing that stands out is that each session imparted information without instilling any fear — instead reassuring that there is still time and a variety of ways and pace to prepare.”

“Your sessions are highly informative, Kala. Some of us are first time high school parents and are clueless about so many aspects of high school and college. We are beginning to gain some insight into how to navigate things. Moreover I feel this group is like a safe zone for us to ask questions. Keep up the great work, Kala!”

“Most importantly this is a safe, knowledgeable group to ask questions and share. This part is invaluable. Thank you for creating a helpful environment.”

“Kala, just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the time and effort you're pouring into guiding us through this college app maze. What makes this forum particularly special is that the discussions often focus on topics directly related to our school district, which we can't find anywhere else.”

“This group is a blessing!”

“Thanks for going above and beyond — we appreciate your time and effort to organize and bring in speakers from different backgrounds. The information and resources are invaluable, especially that which comes from students and parents sharing their high school journeys.”

“Thanks for putting together this forum and coordinating the weekly sessions. As a first-time high school parent, hearing from parents and students who've already been through the process, as well as from counselors, has been really helpful. This is a great support system, especially since several presenters are from the same school districts, so topics and questions are very pertinent.”

“Being a first timer going through the college application process, we needed a lot of hand holding and you did an awesome job guiding us. The sessions helped us make informed decisions and made the whole experience less stressful.”

“I got greatly benefited by the presentations on Financial Aid, College Savings plan and making a college list. Though we can find most information online, nothing can beat hearing directly from experts. This includes the parent-led sessions sharing their experiences.”

“Thank you Kala for all your efforts! As a parent of a senior, the talks on financial aid and handling rejection were super helpful. Thank you for finding someone to talk about our requested topic as well — that was very insightful. Really appreciate your support.”

“Would echo the same sentiments as everyone else, Kala. It's been a great learning experience overall — a wide range of counselor, financial aid and parent-plus-student sessions, and access to information. Thank you for taking the time to bring everyone together.”

“These sessions are so helpful and a lot of thought and hard work has gone into selecting each topic — and probably more effort into bringing the right person to present. There is a lot of support and encouragement in this group.”

“I would like to thank you for all the efforts you take to bring information to parents. The information caters to various categories as each child is unique. You have put in a lot of thought to cover topics like middle college, pre-med, CS, physics major, and many more. I have noticed you have gone above and beyond to find answers for questions parents have asked privately. You don't rest until you give back something that would help them. Kudos for taking on this project all by yourself and doing it successfully.”

“I have gone through the college process for my older one and honestly I was relaxed thinking I would do the same things again. I joined this group late and I wish I had this support for my oldest too. When a question comes to my mind, I have a safe place to go to. Thank you for your willingness to connect people. When I expressed my daughter's interests, you immediately connected me to the people you knew in that area — I am ever grateful for that.”

“Kudos for creating this much needed support group and successfully driving it to almost a year! I attended some sessions and every time I learned something new. Some of the most helpful were hearing from parents and students. I also liked the non-judgmental questions you ask presenters — which opened up entirely new perspectives of looking at things differently.”

“Can't thank you enough for all the hard work you are putting in running these sessions for the benefit of the community.”

“Thanks so much for the sessions Kala. I have enjoyed the presentations. Thank you for the hard work and dedication in putting these sessions together. All the reviews are spot on and there is very little to add to the appreciation you are getting for an amazing effort.”

“Dear Kala, I have been part of many groups on WhatsApp regarding college education and support. To be very honest, this is the easiest group for me to follow regarding all the important information. I don't feel lost. Being a parent of a junior student and a first timer, I got some idea of how college works — and that's only because of this group. You brought very insightful information in a very organized manner. Also, all the parents here ask and provide information which is very helpful. Thank you so much!”