The I-House Connection: May 2020

I-House Alumni Rise to Meet the Challenge 

Every year, I-House receives a generous grant through Davis Projects for Peace that is awarded to a resident for designing a grassroots project that addresses the root causes of conflict. Patrick Thelen (IH 2016-17) won the 2017 Davis Projects for Peace, and has since gone on to grow the impact of his winning project.

Patrick, who is from Germany and currently lives in Canada, chatted with the Program Office to share what he’s been up to since leaving International House. 

Read interview on our blog: I-House Berkeley Alum Patrick Thelen on “doin’ good”

In a similar example of I-House alumni generosity, Shanghai-based alumnus Ker Gibbs (IH 1988-90) is behind an ambitious effort to donate N95 masks to hospitals in San Francisco and New York. As president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham), Gibbs is leading the campaign to raise funds to purchase the personal protective equipment (PPE) and transport more than 1 million pieces on authorized cargo flights over the next several weeks.

Do you know of I-House alumni who are doing good in the world? Let us know at ihalumni@berkeley.edu.

Alumni Messages to Residents

Our residents have lost the ability to gather physically, but you can share in their community. Help them feel less alone by offering your encouragement. Together, we will show them that even as our world is in crisis, their global community is thinking of them. 

We asked, you responded! Below are a few of the messages we received from alumni:

Erin Andrews (IH 1989 - 91)
Hello I-House Residents!
You are living in one of the most amazing places. I have many fond memories of my time living in I-House. I hope your time in I-House makes the world feel smaller and more intimate, as it did for me. May the friendships you begin at I-House grow more rewarding throughout your life.
Wishing you all the best,
Erin Andrews from Seattle, Washington, USA
indichocolate.com

Hasan Diwan (IH 1997)
I-House had, has, and will always have, a special place in my heart; every successive round of students that come in, whether for fall, spring or summer, renew the promise of I-House, as a home for those without, in Berkeley.
Hasan Diwan, under-lockdown-in-Barcelona-but-live-in-Tiburon

Bejan Esmaili (IH 1980s)
Hello and thank you so much for the update and information, we all appreciate what you do during this challenging time.  I’m very proud and appreciative of what the I-House has given me and now also excited about the opportunity for my daughter, Leila who is following in my footsteps as an applicant at the I-House currently.  She not only heard the stories that I shared but also experienced the environment having many meals there growing up. Thanks again for the updates and keep up the great work.
All the best, Bejan 

Firoozeh Dumas (IH 1986-87)
Greetings fellow I-House residents!
I am writing to you from my home office in Palo Alto, near that other university. I would love to join one of the virtual coffee hours! I am originally from Iran and lived in I-House 1986-87. I met my French/Greek husband the first week in I-House and we just moved back to California after six years in Germany and Greece. Life has been a grand adventure but we still look back at our time at I-House as pure magic. I hope you are all doing well during these strange times. 
Best, Firoozeh Dumas
www.firoozehdumas.com

Dr. Krishna Bhattacharjee (IH 1965-66)
Thanks for doing your best in these crucial days and keeping I-House active, and staying connected.
- Krishna

Let's keep this positivity going! To send a message to residents, please email your message to ihalumni@berkeley.edu and include your name and country (and class year if possible).

I-House Virtual Backgrounds

For those who wish they can physically be at I-House, download one of our new photos for a virtual background for Zoom meetings! See photos and instructions at:
https://ihouse.berkeley.edu/i-house-virtual-backgrounds

Stay In Touch

It is our goal to celebrate the lives and achievements of our alumni and the contributions they have made and continue to make around the world. Please help us to keep you informed of upcoming regional events, update our records to help you reconnect with old friends, locate lost alumni, and share recent news with you. If you have moved, changed email or mailing addresses, or want to give us an exciting update about developments in your own life, please let us know by filling out this brief contact update form

By sharing this with your I-House friends, you are helping to extend our reach and to keep the I-House connection alive! As always, we welcome your news at alumni@ihouseberkeley.org. See more ways for alumni to stay connected

We thank you for staying connected to International House Berkeley.

Sincerely,

I-House Alumni Relations, Communications, and Philanthropy Team
(510) 642-4128
alumni@ihouseberkeley.org