I-House Recognized by Professionals in International Education (PIE) 2021 Awards
International House is thrilled to share that it has been recognized by the Professionals for International Education (PIE) as a finalist for its 2021 PIEoneer Awards in two categories: International Student Living and Alumni of the Year.
The PIEoneer Awards celebrate innovation and achievement across the whole of the global education industry. With a distinguished judging panel representing wide geographical and professional diversity, The awards recognize both individuals and organizations who are pushing professional standards, evolving their engagement or redefining the international student experience.
The International Student Living Award “recognises…[an] organisation providing housing for international students that can demonstrate a pro-active effort to deliver innovative and high quality services specifically designed for international students, and show very high levels of student satisfaction.” Among the factors that distinguished I-House as a finalist was the way it supported its residents through the pandemic. Throughout the 2020 academic year, I-House produced over 30 events to educate and inspire its international student residents and engage its global alumni community. Programming was reduced but still included book talks with authors, documentary film screenings, while a new series was introduced: virtual cooking classes by renowned international chefs with free ingredients provided to all residents.
The International Alumni of the Year Award shines a spotlight on Alumni whose experiences of international studies help them to contribute positively to society at home or overseas. An alum not only of International House but of its Women’s International Leadership program (WIL), Arundhati Katju ’17 of India has been nominated for this recognition. After graduating from Columbia Law School in 2017, Katju and her partner, Menaka Guruswamy, litigated and won a landmark case to uphold LGBQT+ rights in India, overturning a 157-year-old colonial law that criminalized homosexuality in front of the Indian Supreme Court. Katju was named one of Time Magazine‘s “100 Most Influential People in 2019,” was an honoree at the International House Gala in 2019, and was interviewed by I-House Trustee Fareed Zakaria on his “The Global Public Square” show on CNN.
The 2021 winners will be announced at the 2021 PIEoneer hybrid awards ceremony, taking place on Friday, September 3, 2021 at London’s Guildhall and online via their virtual awards platform. More information about the awards, including how to attend, can be found here.