Katie Holmes looks cheerful on a stroll in NYC amid news her daughter Suri is applying to colleges

Katie Holmes appeared in high spirits while enjoying a leisurely stroll through New York City amid the news that her 16-year-old daughter Suri has started applying to universities.

On Friday, the 44-year-old Dawson’s Creek alum gave onlookers a friendly wave while rocking an olive green puffer jacket, a black baseball cap atop her damp brown locks and a pair of charcoal gray pants.

The actress combined her sporty look with a white t-shirt and matching sneakers with beige details.

While walking on the sidewalk, she was seen looking down and texting on her iPhone, which was protected in a red case.

His latest sighting comes after he reportedly began helping his teen get started with the college application process.

On Wednesday, a source close to Holmes told DailyMail.com exclusively that Suri, who turns 17 next month, “has sent in some applications” and is “inclined to” study fashion in the Big Apple, a choice that would mark his style. Very happy intelligent mother.

‘Suri is applying to schools all over the place. [Katie] he really wants her to stay in New York so they can be close to each other. Katie is proud of her, but she’s also extremely overprotective,” the source shared, adding that Katie is “overwhelmed” by the thought of her daughter going off to college.

While Katie is taking an active role in helping her daughter with college applications, the teen’s father, Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise, won’t be playing a role in the process, having been estranged from his daughter since 2013. a year after he and Katie divorced.

At the time of their split, it was reported that Katie had chosen to end the couple’s marriage out of fear of raising their daughter as a Scientologist, a religion Tom is incredibly dedicated to.

Their decision to abandon religion, as well as marriage, caused a major rift between the ex-spouses, which has made Tom and Suri’s relationship increasingly distant over the years.

The informant explained that Tom “has no part in [Suri’s] life’, after it was previously revealed that the couple haven’t seen each other in years.

However, the source notes that while Tom won’t be involved in helping Suri choose which school to go to, he will be paying her college tuition costs, as per his top-secret divorce settlement with his former actress.

According to their divorce papers, Tom agreed to pay Katie $400,000 a year until Suri turned 18.

The documents also state that Tom agreed to pay all of Suri’s expenses, including “medical, dental, insurance, education, college and other extracurricular costs.”

“Tom has always upheld his responsibilities when it comes to financial obligations to Katie and Suri,” the source told DailyMail.com.

However, the Mission Impossible actor has not maintained a presence in Suri’s life.

DailyMail.com has contacted Tom’s spokesman for comment.

According to another source, Katie hasn’t let Tom’s decision not to see Suri affect her education.

“Being raised by a single mother in New York has made Suri who she is. Katie has always put Suri first and Suri loves her mother more than anything,” the source tells DailyMail.com.

“She is a smart girl and she is becoming a very smart older woman. She has a very close group of loyal friends and knows exactly where she comes from.

In addition to her love of fashion, Suri, whose wardrobe is reportedly worth $5 million, has also shown her talent for music, which she can also study while in college.

Last year, a trailer for a romantic comedy starring and directed by Katie, Alone Together, showed Suri singing Blue Moon on the soundtrack, while her mother praised her daughter as “the best”.

Katie spoke to Yahoo Entertainment about her decision to have Suri sing the two songs, telling the outlet, “I always want the highest level of talent.”

So I asked him. She is very, very talented. She said that she would do it and recorded it, and I let her do her thing,” Katie said.

Katie also said that she had hired Suri to sing in another movie she directed called Rare Objects.

When Suri was just four years old, Katie told Elle that her daughter used to comment on her clothes.

“I’m wearing brown suede pants today, and she said, ‘I don’t like your pants.’ But then she’ll say, “You have to wear these shoes.” Or, “That’s so pretty, Mom. Put that on.” She has a big eye.

During an interview with InStyle in 2020, Katie said that Suri “came out very strong, she’s always had a strong personality.”

“She’ll pick an activity and work hard until she’s really good at it. So she says, OK, I’m going to try the next thing. She is very focused and very hard-working.’

Tom hasn’t seen Suri in over 10 years, but is close to the two children he shares with Nicole Kidman, Isabella, 30, and Connor, 28.

Nicole, on the other hand, who filed for divorce after 11 years of marriage in 2001 because of Tom’s ties to Scientology, hasn’t spoken to Tom in nearly 20 years.

In 2019, author Samantha Domingo told Us Weekly that Tom was not allowed to be in a relationship with Suri because she is not a Scientologist.

She told the outlet that the reason was because of the Church’s belief in reincarnation, they would not see Suri as Tom’s daughter.

The acclaimed author added that they instead view Suri as a “spiritual being in Tom’s daughter’s body.”

Tom disagreed that his religion caused him to distance himself from Suri.

In 2013, Tom sued In Touch magazine for $50 million when the outlet reported that he “abandoned” his daughter.

When the case took place in court, Tom said that he could not see Suri due to his busy work schedule.

He told the court that he did not see Suri for 100 days because he was filming an overseas movie called All You Need is Kill in London.

“Unfortunately, in this situation it was impossible,” he told the court, according to People. She added that, far from abandoning her daughter, he called her every day-

‘You have to work on it. I’ve gotten really good at it. I tell wonderful stories,’ Tom told the court.

Tom and Katie were one of the most iconic couples of the early 2000s. After dating for a year, they tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Italy in November 2006.

The Dawson’s Creek actress filed for divorce from him six years later, citing irreconcilable differences.

In an interview with German television station ProSieben, Tom said he “did not expect” Katie to end their marriage.

‘Life is a tragicomedy. You have to have a sense of humor,’ she said during the interview.