Chime in the community: Our partnership with TheDream.US
Did you know that only 5 to 10% of the United States’ ‘Dreamers,’ or those who come to this country at a young age without documentation, enroll in college? That’s because though they are American, they lack the documentation to receive grants and student aid to help with the financial burden of college. When compared to the 33 to 44% of the general population that attends college, those numbers are astounding — and they’re why TheDream.US is committed to awarding scholarships to Dreamers so that they can have the opportunity to get a college education.
While no members of Chimmigrants — our Chimer Resource Group (CRG) for immigrants — are Dreamers themselves, many of them do understand the reality of attending college for the first time or navigating a system that is not understood by their families in the U.S. and abroad.
Shivam Vohra, a Lead Program Manager at Chime, is a first-generation immigrant. Both of his parents moved to the U.S. from India — where his mother went to college in India and his father didn’t. “The experience of applying to college — how many to apply to, where to apply, how to make sure your application is complete — was a stressful process in and of itself,” he explains. “None of my family really understood the process, the academic environment, or the types of problems I might encounter while in college — such as mental health issues — and therefore we quite risk-averse and unable to guide me. I had to find my own way and get my entire family on board — the entire process was really formative for my maturity and helping me understand what I needed to do to deliver for my family and make them feel safe and secure.”
For Andrew Trott, a Data Engineering Manager at Chime, attending university in the U.S. was an opportunity that many from his home country, South Africa, aren’t afforded. “I know that my experience going to a well-funded university led to job opportunities I otherwise wouldn’t have had back home,” he says. “I’ve learned, over the years, how valuable different perspectives are to a team and company, and I enjoy bringing my unique upbringing to the table.”
As a member of Chimmigrants, both Andrew and Shivam jumped at the opportunity to be mentors through TheDream.US given their personal experiences as immigrants going to college. “It was immediately an event I knew I could contribute to and I also wanted to learn what youth are facing right now and what matters to them,” explains Shivam.
“At the end of 2020, we had a significant portion of our budget left over,” explains Cat Corcoran, a Chimmigrants co-lead and participant in the event. “We wanted to donate it to an organization that Chimmigrants felt connected to, and TheDream.US stood out to us. We felt strongly about contributing to their scholarship program since, as immigrants, we know what it can feel like to lack access to certain systems and funding.” So Chimmigrants donated the remainder of their 2020 budget — but they didn’t stop there.
In early 2021, Chimmigrants wanted to do more. So they reached out to TheDream.US to propose a partnership and a few months later, they were partnering with TheDream.US And Mentor.org to run a flash mentoring session for TheDream.US scholars.
The value of mentorship
The event brought itself brought in scholars from the program and Chimers, matching them up for one-on-one breakout sessions and discussions. Volunteers got to chat with the scholars about what was on their minds, challenges they’re facing, and just exchange perspectives.
“The first scholar I was matched with was a self-described introvert studying psychology,” Shivam says. “We discussed how she is deciding on her career path and the personal experiences that impact her decisionmaking in college.” In between sessions, Shivam called out several of the learnings from their conversation and gave her a shoutout, “Because I knew she wouldn’t have spotlighted herself,” he says.
His second scholar, a junior studying to become a nurse, shared his experience of having parents who don’t understand what it’s like to go to college and live away from home. “We shared a ton of the same challenges with family, like the importance of the nuclear family if you’re not in your home country and navigating familial relationships as you grow up,” he says. “My advice to her was to put herself in their shoes, be constructive, and try to bring your parents along on your journey.”
Cat’s experience also involved sharing her personal perspective and learnings. “I pivoted my career and, interestingly enough, spoke to someone doing the same. It can be really nervewracking to start again but there are a lot of ways to set goals, take ownership, and get the most possible out of new experiences,” she says.
For Andrew, meeting the scholars gave him a look at how people are thinking about their careers nowadays. “As an engineering manager, a lot of my work is developing people and teams. As Chime grows, we’re creating more and more space to bring on folks who are at earlier stages of their careers — speaking to the scholars helped me understand how recent graduates might fit into our teams and the strengths their diverse backgrounds will bring to the table.”
Andrew, Cat, and Shivam ended their sessions by connecting with their scholars on LinkedIn — because they know how far connections can go towards navigating uncertainty. “One of the hardest things can be figuring out logistical parts of college,” Shivam explains. “Which websites to look at, forms to fill out — they’re minor and insignificant on their own, but they can snowball really quickly and become intimidating. Talking to the scholars brought back a lot of my past fears and insecurities so I felt it was important to be a resource to them — I would have appreciated someone like that when I was going to college.”
The importance of community and connection
Through their partnership with TheDream.US, Chimmigrants has learned the importance of a connection to community — especially communities they identify with. “We’re thrilled about this partnership because it aligns so well with our goals as a CRG and is something our members are excited to participate in,” Cat explains. “This event brought a lot of us back to when we were having those exact same struggles and reminded us of Chime’s mission and what we want to give people — financial peace of mind.”
The reality is, a huge part of that financial peace of mind is connected to going to college. For Cat, who wanted to change careers and go to college in the U.S. but didn’t have the financial means to, she feels the responsibility to educate, support, and financially contribute to others’ paths to college and beyond. “If we can help people find financial peace of mind through college, whether it’s through our products and services or our volunteer efforts, that means a lot to me,” she says.
So many immigrants navigate uncertainty — both when it comes to going to college and managing their finances — and work tirelessly to achieve progress when they come to the U.S. “The core premise of Chime, which is to provide financial peace of mind without punishment or predatory behaviors, is huge for people who are risk-averse or don’t want to interact with large institutions, for example,” Shivam explains. “The more we can share our own perspectives and work with others in similar situations, the more we can move the needle on the individual and collective experiences when it comes to matters that impact financial health.”
What’s more, as our team at Chime grows, we’ll continue to seek out people with diverse perspectives to join us. By partnering with TheDream.US, our team has the privilege of meeting people from a variety of backgrounds — and they get to learn about Chime. “We’re in a fast-paced industry and our team is growing incredibly fast,” says Andrew. “By connecting with driven, curious scholars through programs like TheDream.US, we learn from the next generation of talent and give them a look into what it’s like to work at Chime. By sharing our experiences and building mentorship relationships, everyone grows together.”
We’re excited to do some of that work with TheDream.US and can’t wait to see what the year ahead holds for our partnership and, moreover, for their scholars.
Interested in partnering with or donating to TheDream.US? Visit their website.
