Tag: Alumni

Think Bigger: An Evening with Dr. Sheena Iyengar

Written by International House on December 4, 2024. Posted in Events, News.

Where Do Big Ideas Come From? The classic story of the Statue of Liberty focuses on the persistence, passion, teamwork, and technological ingenuity it took to create her. But where did the idea for Lady Liberty come from? In a recent Distinguished Speaker Series talk, Dr. Sheena Iyengar, the S.T. Lee Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and a renowned expert on choice, explored the creative process behind the iconic statue—a symbol that has resonated with her since age three when she arrived from India with her parents. Dr. Iyengar deconstructed Frédéric...

From Night Manager to Distinguished Speaker: Jelani Cobb’s Journey Back to I-House

Written by International House on November 18, 2024. Posted in Events, News.

The rumors are true: on his way to becoming an award-winning writer and producer, Jelani Cobb worked as a night manager at International House. Now Dean of Columbia Journalism School and a longtime writer for The New Yorker, Cobb returned to I-House on November 4, Election Day eve, to deliver a Distinguished Lecture Series talk in Davis Hall, where he discussed the election, political polarization, and the evolving role of journalism in America. But first, some memories. As Cobb was working toward his PhD in History, he staffed the Claremont reception, greeting residents as...

Alumna Spotlight: Zubeida (Parpia) Ahmad ’45, A Champion of Women’s Rights

Written by International House on March 31, 2022. Posted in News Archive.

A chance introduction in 2008 led to a friendship and an unlikely “small world” International House connection with a strong and accomplished woman who became one of the earliest advocates of micro-financing and women’s rights in developing countries in the postwar period. Several years after Marianne Murphy Francke and her husband Nils Francke ’85 moved to Geneva, Switzerland, Marianne started taking French lessons. “One of my classmates was moving back to the US and asked if any of us would like to ‘take over’ her weekly lunches with a very interesting older woman who offered...

Alumni Spotlight: Amos Jones ’03 and the I-House Experience

Written by International House on February 24, 2022. Posted in News Archive.

When Amos N. Jones moved into International House in the fall of 2002, he was not fully prepared for what he was about to experience. Jones, now a Washington, DC-based attorney who practices, lectures and publishes in the areas of civil rights, religious freedom and ethics, chose I-House as his residence while pursuing his Masters in Journalism from Columbia University. This was after the Kentucky-born National Merit Scholar graduated cum laude from Emory University, but prior to studying at Harvard Law and on a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Melbourne in Australia. “I had not...

Alumni Spotlight: Sidney Nakahodo, Space Entrepreneur

Written by International House on May 11, 2018. Posted in News Archive.

by Angelica Hill (UK), Resident Press Corps “A life-shaping experience,” he said of his time at I-House May 2018–Sidney Nakahodo is an alumnus of International House, born and raised in Brazil, and co-founder and CEO of the New York Space Alliance, a platform that empowers space entrepreneurs through mentorship, advising, investment, and community support. He also spends a lot of his time working with tech start-ups, playing a role as founder and adviser. He is a current lecturer at Columbia University specializing in Political, Social, and Economic Development in Brazil, and...

Alumni Spotlight: Nekpen Osuan ’10, Co-Founder, WomenWerk

Written by International House on September 7, 2017. Posted in News Archive.

October 2017–Nekpen Osuan was recently awarded a Women in Power Fellowship, a program offered by the 92nd Street Y that provides senior level women across all professional sectors the peer support, mentorship, training and coaching needed to advance them to the highest levels of leadership. What is your background?I am from Nigeria and was raised in Houston; I now live in Harlem. I studied at Baylor University, where I received a BA, and Columbia University, where I received an MA. I currently work as an analytics strategist and project manager in financial services. ...