Alumni News – International House

Remembering Dr. Karin Zinkann ‘57 (1933-2025)

Written by International House on July 30, 2025. Posted in Alumni News, News.

Members of the International House community note with sorrow the passing of Dr. Karin Zinkann ’57, longtime World Council of Alumni member and International Trustee, at her home in the town of Gütersloh in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on July 23. As reported locally, “With her, Gütersloh loses an outstanding personality who has dedicated herself for decades to the common good, cultural life, and social issues in our city—as an engaged supporter of numerous projects alongside her husband, the co-owner of Miele and honorary citizen of Gütersloh, Dr. Peter Zinkann.” Dr. Zinkann, who...

Statement Calling for the Immediate Release of Jesús Armas ’23

Written by International House on July 25, 2025. Posted in Alumni News, News.

Dear Friends, It has been more than seven months since our alumnus and friend Jesús Armas ’23 was abducted and detained indefinitely in Caracas. I am writing today to urge his immediate release and safe return to his family. Last Friday, the United States negotiated a prisoner swap that freed ten Americans and 48 Venezuelan political detainees. Jesús was not among them. Because of his political advocacy and human rights activism, he remains imprisoned and held incommunicado by the Venezuelan government. Jesús has been isolated, tortured, and cut off from any means of legal...

Remembering Susan “Tudy” McLaine (1933-2025)

Written by International House on July 11, 2025. Posted in Alumni News, News, Uncategorized.

International House was saddened to learn of the passing of Susan “Tudy” McLaine ’56, a fixture in the I-House alumni and programmatic community for decades, on June 21 in Ottawa. She was 91.Born Susan Reed in Boston, MA, she met her Canadian husband Alan McLaine at I-House while she was attending Columbia University’s School of Social Work. After completing his studies in Soviet economics, Alan joined the Canadian Foreign Service, and the McLaines embarked on a 33-year diplomatic career which culminated with Alan’s appointment as the last Canadian Ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1990.The...

Alumni Spotlight: Cyrus Mehta ‘90

Written by International House on May 12, 2025. Posted in Alumni News.

Today, Cyrus Mehta ’90 is a prominent attorney for immigrant rights and constitutional protections, handling high-profile cases and shaping policy conversations across the country through his blog and other platforms. He is currently working on Mahdawi v. Trump. Though he planned—twice—to return to India, his path kept unfolding in New York. Friendships and referrals from I-House peers drew him back time and again, eventually establishing him as a leading voice in immigration law. Mehta credits I-House not so much with shaping his career, but with deeply influencing his worldview....

FIHUK Centennial Weekend

Written by International House on May 12, 2025. Posted in Alumni News, Events.

Friends of International House, United Kingdom (FIHUK) celebrated I-House’s centennial May 9-11 during a beautiful spring weekend of varied activities in London which drew some 50 participants from the UK, USA, Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan and Bangladesh. The festivities began on May 9 with a welcome reception hosted by Deniz ’67 and Erol Gelenbe ’68 at their home in Belgravia. FIHUK Board President Patricia Hamzahee OBE ’83 welcomed the group with the promise of a weekend emblematic of the I-House experience, filled with music, art, friendship and conversation on...

From Nairobi to New York: My Grandparents’ I-House Experience

Written by International House on February 28, 2025. Posted in Alumni News.

Toronto-based writer and freelance journalist Vikram Nijhawan ’24 lived at International House while at Columbia School of Journalism. When he moved into I-House in 2023, Vikram contacted the alumni office for any information about his grandparents, who lived at the House as a young married couple. His grandfather’s original application was found, and he offered to write the following article, during I-House’s centennial year, about his grandparents’ experience. My grandparents arrived at the International House as newly-weds in 1962, from Nairobi, Kenya. My grandfather, Inderjeet...