Center for New Directions’ student-mom group kicks off semester 

Members of the Center for New Directions (CND) met for their student-mom support group on Thursday for the first time this semester. 

“I started this group back in 2022 when I became the director of CND,” Louisa Rogers said. “I wanted these amazing women I was meeting to be able to meet each other as well!”

The CND is a campus program targeted towards providing resources for students who are single parents or displaced homemakers making the choice to come back to school and further their education. The goal of these weekly meetings is to come together for a short moment of peace amongst the hectic lives many of these women live.

One of the members, nursing student Mattie Rivero, made the group laugh when she said, “I have two kids, both boys, 5 and 6 years old. So you know, my life is a walk in the park…Jurassic Park.”

Located in the Lee Kildow building, the CND is busy with the traffic of members coming and going throughout the day, whether for a cup of coffee or a study session on the cozy couch. This is a space for non-traditional students to find resonation and resources suited for their needs. 

“I’m happy to be here because I appreciate the resources,” first-year NIC student Shoshana Rubli, a single mother said. “And I appreciate that it is normal, at least in this space, to be a mom pursuing education.” 

This group meets once a week, Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. and checks in with one another, shares advice, resources, or bits of hope for getting through the semester.