Social Media Ambassadors (SMAs) assist the I-House Communications team with social media, blogging, video production, fundraising, and special initiatives. In addition to sharing glimpses of I-House life on our Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify, and TikTok accounts, our SMAs are adding fresh new content on our YouTube channel and blog!
Meet Our Spring 2022 Social Media Ambassadors
Jeanne Bloch
Hi all! My name is Jeanne Bloch. I was born and raised in France and am currently a junior studying international law and political science. I am particularly interested in the study and protection of Human Rights. I've also been working in a newspaper for three years now!
I like living here, in such a rich cultural environment and would love to learn more from each one of our residents. In my free time, I enjoy any kind of sea-related activity (surfing, sailing, swimming) as well as writing in my journal and reading. I'm always up for a chat with residents and alumni, especially if you want to share your I-House stories and experiences!
Louise Riché
Hello everyone! My name is Louise Riché and I am very excited to be one of the Social Media Ambassadors for I-House for this academic year! Along with Azza Chairannisa, I will be sharing life at International House and its incredible community on social media.
A little bit about me: I am a French exchange student staying in Berkeley for a year. However, even though I grew up in France, I have spent the last two years studying in London! People often ask me what my major is, and I always reply that it is a complicated question. That is because I study an interdisciplinary degree of Liberal Arts and Sciences, meaning that I study a little bit of everything. For example, at Berkeley, my classes range from Chinese and computer science to theatre and social entrepreneurship! In my free time, I love watching movies (my favorite being La La Land) and traveling.
Carina Samson
Hello everyone! My name is Carina Samson and I'm super excited for the opportunity to share the various diverse experiences and beautiful moments we have here at I-House with the rest of our Berkeley community!
A little bit about me: I was born in the Philippines and raised in Japan, and I'm currently a junior undergraduate student double majoring in Data Science and Psychology. Ever since I was really young I've been passionate about mental health, as well as a strong believer in the importance of service and youth empowerment, especially within the field of educational technology. In my free time, I love to write music, sing, play the ukulele, go on hikes and watch anime.
Volunteer Opportunity:
Now more than ever, it is important to keep the I-House experience alive in the hearts and minds of alumni around the world. In addition to the student worker Social Media Ambassador roles, there are volunteer opportunities available for residents and alumni to serve as Global Community Ambassadors on our alumni engagement platform, I-House Berkeley Connect.
Watch videos produced by previous SMAs:
Support I-House for Big Give
Winter Holiday Traditions from I-House Residents
Read the blog post, "Winter Holiday Traditions from I-House Residents."
"I-House Gratitude" Video
"The I-House Experience" Video
Executive Director Hans Giesecke and Laurie Ferris present Loyalty Traster-Lee and Juanan Perez with the SMA awards for Spring 2019
Fall 2021 SMA
Azza Chairannisa
Hello! My name is Mumtaza Chairannisa, but I go by Azza, and I have the great honour of being one of I-House’s new Social Media Ambassadors, and the greater pleasure of working with I-House’s communications team! My role as an SMA includes using various social media platforms to connect and share the wonderful cultures we have within I-House. Another way I intend to promote the diverse cultures of our residents is through an international cookbook where I will ask our lovely residents to send in recipes of the dishes that remind them of home!
A little bit about me: I am Indonesian, but I grew up in the UK. Currently, I am a Junior majoring in History. I spent my previous two years in France as part of the Sciences Po Paris and UC Berkeley Dual Degree program, where I majored in Economy and Society. I can speak Bahasa Indonesian, English, and to a much lesser extent, French.
SMA Coordinator
Laurie Ferris, Communications Strategist
As the Communications Strategist for International House at UC Berkeley, I share stories online and in our I-House Times Newsletter. I created the Social Media Ambassador Program so that residents can share the I-House experience with the UC Berkeley community and beyond. I enjoy working with these talented residents who have unique perspectives on life at I-House.
Questions? Contact me at lferris@berkeley.edu.
2019-2020 SMA
Chan'Cellore Makanjuola
Chan'Cellore Makanjuola is an award-winning filmmaker from Plano, Texas. She studied film at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX, where she got her degree in Mass Communication. She is currently a first-year graduate student at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, with her concentration in documentary filmmaking. She enjoys video editing, watching documentaries (and making them), and is always looking for a great story. Her favorite thing about living at I-House was experiencing a wide range of cultures and backgrounds from the people she met, particularly in the Dining Commons.
Read her blog posts:
Alumni Spotlight: Kathryn Anthony (IH 1976-79)
A Semester Like No Other: An I-House Berkeley Spring 2020 Recap
I-House Residents Fighting COVID-19, One Care Package at a Time
Big Thanks for Big Give!
Support I-House Berkeley for Big Give!
Celebrating Black History Month at I-House through Food
I-House, a Gateway to Love: Mexico Meets Bangladesh
Winter Holiday Traditions from I-House Residents
Listen to her interview on the podcast series,Under the Dome.
Listen on Google Podcast Listen on Apple Podcast
Watch videos produced by Chan'Cellore on our YouTube channel
2018-2019 SMAs
Loyalty Traster-Lee and Juanan Perez
Loyalty Traster-Lee and Juanan Perez were the Spring 2019 Social Media Ambassadors. Loyalty wrote nine blog posts and Juanan wrote five blog posts. Together, they produced the wildly popular "I-House Connection" video with the collaboration of sixty residents.
Testimonials about the experience:
"Hello! My name is Loyalty and I'm from California. While I was a resident at International House, I had the wonderful opportunity to be a Social Media Ambassador, along with Juanan, during the Spring 2019 semester. Being a part of I-House's communication endeavors, via digital outlets such as Instagram and blog posts, allowed me to engage with so many amazing humans I would otherwise have not met. In particular, I loved filming, editing, and directing the music video, "The I-House Connection" with Juanan, to bring awareness to I-House for Big Give 2019. Throughout the semester, I was supported and encouraged by Laurie, and this commitment hit the perfect balance of having enough responsibility to feel impactful, without being stress-inducing. I'll always have fond memories of my time at I-House, and my time as a Social Media Ambassador."
"Hello everyone! My name is Juanan, and I am from Spain. I was a resident at I-House during the 2018-2019 academic year. I can say that it was one of the best places that I have ever lived. As a student in International Relations, it helped me broaden my mind about the beauty of the diversity of cultures all across the world. Being a Social Media Ambassador during the second semester was a great way for me to get experience writing in English. With the help of Loyalty, we were able to show future residents how I-House life is from inside and give advice about life in Berkeley. It was an experience I will never forget!"
2018 Fall SMA
Francesca Ternullo
Hi! My name is Francesca and I am from Italy. I was a UCEAP student at UC Berkeley. While I was a resident at International House, I also had the amazing opportunity to be the Social Media Ambassador for the Fall 2018 semester. It was my first experience in the communication field but I was fascinated by social media and in how to engage large groups of people, such as I-House residents and community members. I had the chance not only to learn from the communication officers how to effectively conduct a “giveaway” campaign and social media posts but also to live as a protagonist all the I-House main events. I was sharing my POV in the main I-House channels and sometimes I was reposted also from UCEAP channels. During the semester, I have always been assisted and trained by Laurie, and it was inspiring to learn from an expert. Laurie was a great mentor: she understood the most suitable task for me and she also allowed me to fully express my creativity. I will always have a great memory of my stay at I-House thanks to this experience (also because I see my Ambassador t-shirt every day in my wardrobe!) I am happy to have been a Social Media Ambassador because not only it was a lot of fun but I have an additional experience to put in my resume since “communication” skills are in demand.
Previous SMAs
Spring 2018
Claire Liow
Fall 2017
Claire Liow and Laila Zouaki
2016 - 2017
Morgan Randall