Alumni
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to vist the I-House 10 years after my last time there and WOW - what a whirlwind of emotions that was! From the moment I saw all the flags dancing in the wind at the front, to the totem that read "Peace on Earth" in different languages, to getting emotional looking at our old Formal Dinner pictures, to catching up on how things have changed (or not!) with current residents... it's been a feast for my soul.
Knowing that the current state of the world, the I-House is still a place that gives me hope for the future: A place where differences are celebrated, not condemned; a place where conflict is addressed with diplomacy, not retaliation; a place where disagreements are accepted - and often lead people to changing their minds or challenging their unquestioned way of thinking. There are many things I took away from my time at the I-House, but the biggest lessons will always remain the importance of tolerance, active listening, and compassion.
Over the years, many of us have taken very different paths in our life: Some of us started a family, others concentrated on their careers, some did both. However, I know for a fact that the bond we created back then will always be part of who we are, regardless of what we're doing in life. Thank you for having me again, I-house. Thank you for still being the place of laughter, tears, love, and growth. The place made us, and that still makes us all feel so united because of all our differences.
Alumni visits
Dear I-House community,
Have you ever met an old friend after a long time, noticing that from the last time nothing has changed?
This was my feeling when I first arrived at Joe's house in Algarve, a stunning region in Southern Portugal, for our first big reunion.
A year has passed since the first time I set foot on our beloved I-House for the Fall Semester 2021.
Those were four months full of laughs and adventures throughout California and beyond, with weekend getaways and unforgettable roadtrips to some special places, Yosemite and Lake Tahoe to name a few.
When we left San José, I wasn’t sure that we would see each other when back in Europe, because I feared that those unique memories and friendships would fade away when getting back to routine and busy life in our home countries.
However, to my delight, we managed to stay in touch for all this time and finally organised this get together in August.
Seeing some of the friends with whom we shared so many memories was such a dream!
We joined from Austria, Denmark, England, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.
From making delicious brunch at home, to spending a chill day at the pool, or watching sunset at the beach while tasting Portuguese cuisine, we had a real blast!
Being such a diverse group with all our different accents, made ourselves easily recognizable and we met funny people that were curious to know where we were all from, and a Dutch family even offered us a shot of Amarguinha!
We made the most out of the little moments of everyday life, telling funny stories of last year while still making new memories that will last forever.
I am grateful for all the moments that we shared in and outside of the I-House, and while now it’s time to start another semester in Switzerland, I am sure that our paths will cross again!
At the end of the day, our next reunion is just one message away 😉
-Daniel Renzi, fall 2021 I-House resident
The Magic of I-House!
Dear I-House,
It's a wonderful feeling to be back to I-House after 8 years. The House is so renovated and is brilliant!
When life goes on after graduation, many times I have a feeling like everything (the magic!) had started from I-House, and I am so grateful for this place.
I got to see I-House friends from around the world while traveling (UK, France, Ausria, Japan, U.S...) and also when they came to visit Taiwan. We always had a bunch of stories to tell and things to catch up -- you're so connected to the world!
8 years later today I'm even able to come back to attend my roommie Kayla's wedding!!! What's more magical than this?!
I hope I-House will keep doing great for more young great spirits to have magic in their lives! Let's do this!
Many, many gratefulness to I-House and everyone who takes care of this house so well!
Didi Yu-Lun HUANG, Fall 2013 resident
James & Alex (Lamperti) Herrin with Leann
Nao Magami visited I-House from Los Angeles on his way back from a trip up north.
Swar Shah visited from India
Our Alumni Around the World
Check out this Google Cloud Ad featuring student Ezana
Watch this CBS News story about our Alumni Sameer Saran's app "ParkStash"
Follow our Alumni Marie Hobson and Momoko Iwagami as they work in Greece for the school
Happy Caravan
San Jose State journalism student Gabriel Mungaray Video
Video created by Marie Hobson
Washington Square magazine
See the feature from the 40th Anniversary Alumni Reunion in 2018.