Alumni SPOTLIGHT
LOVE IHP STYLE
Names and where you are from:
Karl Nass, US Maggie Baenninger Nass, US & Swiss Kids- Lukas( 7) and Selamawit( 5), US & Ethiopian
When and how did you meet at IHP?
We met in August 1998 during an RA orientation. We both were RAs that year, and our outgoing RA team planned an orientation skit that lacked theatrical brilliance of any kind but was alive with IHP spirit and love! We learned a lot from Doris( Fretz) Rippey, who was our fearless Resident Programs Office Director and guided our transition to iHouse life with a rich awareness for inter-cultural context, communication, and leadership. Our RA team and the residents on our floors taught us how significant community and friendship are to finding purpose and strength in life.
What were your favorite things to do while at IHP?
Maggie and I befriended each other from the beginning and enjoyed the WaWa coffees with each other and with friends on Chestnut Street late at night after a long day of school and work. Our favorite things to do included celebrating various holidays and festivals, among them Diwali and breaking fast for Ramadan. We enjoyed talking with friends at the coffeehouse downstairs, playing ping pong, cheering on World Cup Soccer one memorable summer, and dancing at parties until late at night year round. We met and made friends with people from all over the world who helped shape our values that we continue to try and live out as a family and in our work places today.
How has this experience shaped your life after IHP?
We are thankful to IHP for an amazing experience that instilled a hope deep within us- a hope that continues to inspire us and give us confidence to raise a trans-racial family in a society that so often communicates messages that are rooted in division, fear, and prejudice. We hold the IHP mission in our hearts, and we are grateful. That mission forever reminds us that:“ Together we can build a humane world!”
To contribute your story of love and friendship to I-World email us at iworldihp @ ihphilly. org
Alumni and Friends of International House Philadelphia Newsletter – July 2013