International House Berkeley

8 International House Times (the "Back to Berkeley" section of this newsletter confirms this!) e I-House experiences of grandparents, parents, siblings, and extended family members often inspire the stays of other relatives. Each spring, as high school students begin to participate in college tours, I-House welcomes back alumni who are eager for their children to one day make their own memories here. Minnie Loo (IH 1977-78) came to I-House in the late 1970s and was soon followed by her sisters Susanna (IH 1978-80) and Carol (IH 1986-88). Minnie says, "Because my fam- ily lived nearby in San Francisco, I was always bringing my I-House friends to my home, and they got to experience a Chinese-American family in San Francisco. They got to know my siblings and my parents, who were immigrants from Hong Kong. And my family got to experience people from other parts of the world. The exchange went both ways." "By the time I came to I-House," says Carol, "I knew Minnie's Minnie, Susanna, and Carol with their parents, York Yuk Wah Loo and Lily Lai King Hung Loo, seated on a bench the sisters dedicated to their parents. Veeral and Ami Desai and their children on a recent visit to I-House, holding Veeral's father Ashok's original application to I-House from December 1967 and a collage of photos from his I-House years. friends, and our sister, Susanna, who studied linguistics, had also lived at I-House. The path had already been shown to me in terms of what was possible there. It was such a natural choice." And it's not only families. "My dad's experience at I-House and at Berkeley was foundational to his introduction to this country. It profoundly impacted his journey, and ultimately, our family's story." Veeral Desai's father, Ashok Desai (IH 1968-69), applied to live at I-House just four days after he arrived in the United States from India. Veeral says that of all the places in the world, I-House was the most important place to his dad. "is is where it all began. I heard about I-House my entire life. Many people from my dad's hometown and our community were inspired to go to college, to come to Berkeley, and to live at I-House because of his experience. I attended Cal myself in part to follow in my dad's giant footsteps and extend his Cal legacy." Veeral describes his late father as someone who was deeply compassionate, genuine, and someone who lived with honor and respect for others—wherever they came from and whatever their circumstances. "I think Dad's mindset was reinforced by his experience at I-House. He was welcomed into a diverse community that made him feel at home when he was thousands of miles away from everything and everyone he knew. He became a leader in his own community and modeled these powerful shared values throughout his life." e mission of I-House is to foster intercultural respect and understanding, lifelong friendships, and leadership skills for a more just and peaceful world. Are we attaining that mission? By the personal stories reflected in these pages, we think the answer is a resounding "yes!" Do we have more work to do? Absolutely. As I-House begins to plan for the next 100 years, we are evaluating our mission, programs, admissions processes, resident amenities, meal offerings— everything that makes I-House unique and the experience so powerful. Our goal is to determine what's working, what's not, and how we might improve on it in the future. We welcome your input and, as always, your I-House story at alumni@ihouseberkeley.org or 510-642-4128. n Giovanni Dubois (IH 2003-04) and Adrien Poulizac (IH 2007-08) with I-House residents of the future.

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