Tag: Alumni

Resident Spotlight: Runting Luo

Written by International House on May 14, 2025. Posted in News.

When Runting Luo first discovered I-House, she knew immediately that it was more than just student housing—it was the vibrant, global community she had been searching for. A graduate student at NYU studying Management and Analytics, Luo’s journey has taken her across continents. Originally from China, she studied in Japan for her undergraduate degree before arriving in New York to begin a new chapter of learning and cultural exchange. Luo credits her multicultural upbringing and early exposure to different languages for sparking her interest in international...

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...

Fareed Zakaria Discusses Today’s “Wild and Unruly World”

Written by International House on May 1, 2025. Posted in Events, News.

On April 3rd, the International House community went “Around the World with Fareed Zakaria,” as the CNN journalist and longtime Trustee described the current unraveling of a US-led international order that has prevailed since the end of World War II. The event drew a packed audience in Davis Hall eager to hear one of the world’s foremost commentators on international affairs. Speaking the day after US President Donald Trump proclaimed “Liberation Day,” announcing historic global tariffs, Zakaria delved deeply into the historical factors which have led to the current moment, and the...

Mark Morial: “Never Hesitate to Use Your Voice”

Written by International House on May 1, 2025. Posted in Events, News.

Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League and former Mayor of New Orleans, underscored the importance of coalition building and speaking out to I-House residents and alumni during an inspiring and very personal conversation on March 12. In a conversation that wove personal memory with national history, Morial reflected on his lifelong dedication to civil rights, social justice, and purpose-driven leadership. He recounted his experience as one of the first Black students to attend a newly integrated elementary school in New Orleans—a moment that shaped his understanding...

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...

Alumni Spotlight: Sakura Sweethearts Edition

Written by International House on January 22, 2025. Posted in Alumni News.

Spencer Dreher ‘95 and Marisha Wignaraja ‘97 Spencer Dreher and Marisha Wignaraja’s love story began on the dance floor of Davis Hall at I-House. At the time, Dreher was a PhD student studying organic chemistry at Columbia and Wignaraja was pursuing a master’s in international affairs at SIPA. They met at one of I-House’s many lively gatherings—Wignaraja recalls seeing Dreher dancing without a care in the world. “He just kept dancing,” Wignaraja remembers fondly, “And we’ve been dancing together ever since.” Living at I-House played a pivotal role in their relationship....