International House Berkeley

Beat Schwendimann and Katie Bokan-Smith met at the first I-House dance in September 2007. Now, five years later, they are engaged! In July 2013, their wedding will take them back to the UC Berkeley campus. Katie (from California) and Beat (from Switzerland) currently live together in Sydney, Australia, where they both work at the University of Sydney. 2010s Bernice Agyekwena has always had a passion for stories. Now, she revisits her childhood passion, as a contributor to the world of young adult fiction and fantasy by creating her own version of African fairy tales that are deeply rooted in African myths and cultural practices. Her new book, The Beardless Man of Tornabia & Other Stories, is available on Amazon. com, and is featured in our summer reading collection by IH alumni authors (see article, page 9.) Bernice was a Gates Fellow at the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2010-11 and participated in the African Reporting Project. Michel Brun Michel Brun traveled around the world after having received his MS in Mechanical Engineering and Management of Technology. He writes, "This amazing adventure has reinforced my feelings about how thankful I am to I-House. Almost everywhere I traveled (Tokyo, Sydney, Bangkok, Amman, Petra, Cairo, Paris, Miami, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Atacama, Uyuni, La Paz, Cusco, Machu Picchu and San Francisco), I was welcomed by friends I met at I-House. I would have never lived such an experience without having lived at I-House." When Michel returned to the U.S. in July 2012, he landed a job as Project Engineer in Seattle for Saint-Gobain, which makes glass wine bottles for 40% of the US market. He was recently promoted to Project Manager, in charge of multiple critical projects in California. You can check out if a bottle has been made by them by finding the "SG" sign at the bottom of a bottle. Momen El-Husseiny writes, "I enjoyed meeting a heart-touching person like Ashish Desai (IH 1994) who was easy to connect to within the walls of I-House. Our mutual friend, Mitra Forati (IH 1992-94), introduced us and we opened our hearts, sharing deep reflections on life and its meaning from Egypt to India. I loved meeting Ashish's wife and children in the vibrant Great Hall, a place with a long tradition of I-House friends being able to transcend borders & reconnect values!" Kaho Ito writes, "I've made great memories and lifelong friendships here at I-House. I miss the good old days in the dining hall. All the love from Japan." Friends Didier Bourgeois writes, "I still remember the I-House folk dancing on Friday nights." Evangeline "Vangie" Buell received the Shero & Legend Award at a gala dinner on December 14, 2012 in San Francisco sponsored by The Filipina Women's Network. A Shero & Legend is a professional woman whose achievements have opened doors, set new standards, paved the way, and helped build the foundation for the careers of Filipina women. Vangie received proclamations citing her service to the community from Governor Jerry Brown, Mayor Ed Lee and other notables. In June, she also attended the biannual conference of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Vangie was chair of the conference, gave the welcoming speech, and received an award for her years of service to FANHS. Sandra Coliver writes, "My sister Susie and I are tremendously grateful for I-House's continuing recognition of our mother Edith as part of the spring festival. I-House was a huge part of her life. Warm wishes for the new year." T. K. Fowler writes, "I taught on campus in the 1990s and appreciated what I-House did for many of our foreign graduate students." Patricia Hanscom writes, "Thank you for keeping me connected to I-House activities. I am a neighbor and was a close friend of Wendell Lipscomb and Ellen Gunther, both MDs as was my husband Bob Hanscom. We came to California from Chicago, University of Illinois Medical Center, and fell in love with UC Berkeley and never left. Go Bears!" Kathryn Neri writes, "I became a friend of I-House during my years on campus from 1964 - 1968 although I was not a resident. I lived in a sorority up the hill and sometimes stopped by the cafe on my way to campus. Several in our house enjoyed the spirit and camaraderie of I-House, and we volunteered on the 'Welcome to Berkeley' committee that provided orientation for first-time I-House residents. One of our favorite activities was folk dancing on Friday nights! The sorority I lived in closed shortly after I graduated. I-House became our favorite place to visit during reunion weekends and football games. Last year I was elated to learn that my sorority had been invited to re-colonize our Berkeley chapter. And it was especially sweet that the celebration banquet for the re-installation was held this February at I-House. What a lovely coincidence!" Planning A Visit To Berkeley? I-House maintains two guest suites for short-term stays. Details at ihouse.berkeley.edu/events. To reserve, contact (510) 642-0589 or ihevents@berkeley.edu. Welcome New Staff! Laura Michelle Berman, Annual Fund and Event Coordinator Nicole Callis, Catering Coordinator Susanne Koller, Housing Coordinator Neil Turner, Business Tech Support Analyst 2 International House Times 13

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