“The time has come when we in institutions of higher learning no longer may choose whether or not we should participate in international education.” -Helen Canoyer, Dean of College of Home Economics at Cornell University, 1953-1968

Lalitha Kumarappa Kotwal (also referred to as Lalita and Lolita) was born approximately 1917 in Mumbai, India. Kumarappa began her studies at Cornell as a transfer student in 1937. She first studied home economics at Delphi for two years prior to her matriculation. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Kumarappa was the first Indian woman to register as a “regular student” at Cornell. She was also a member of the Cosmopolitan Club, a club for international Cornell undergraduate and graduate students. After receiving her B.S. in Home Economics from Cornell, Kumarappa received an M.A. from the University of Chicago. In 1940, she returned to Mumbai where she began to work as a free-lance journalist and married Ishwar Dass Kotwal. The couple had one daughter, Maliga Savati Ratnam Lalita Kotwal.

Olivia Pei-Heng Wu was born approximately 1913 in Peiping, China. She came to Cornell as a graduate student in the College of Home Economics. She participated in the Home Economics Club as well as the Cosmopolitan Club and the Chinese Student Club. Wu helped supervise the dressing of Chinese clothing and textiles for the 1938 installment of “Costumes of Many Lands.” As per the Cornell Daily Sun, she also won an award in the first annual beauty contest on Cornell’s campus in 1938.

Virginia Dominis was born in Hawai’i in 1916, and was the adopted granddaughter of Queen Lili‘uokalani, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. While at Cornell, Dominis participated in He Hui Hawaii, (a club for students and faculty who were from or had lived in Hawai’i), the Cosmopolitan Club, and the Dramatic Club. She married Frederick Koch ‘40, a Cornell alumnus, and the couple had three daughters. After graduation, she served as the Regent of the Daughters of Hawaii, which operated two historic sites. She passed away in 2007.

Aurora Eusebio Fronda Simpliciano came to Cornell as a master’s student with an interest in the pedagogy of home economics. While at Cornell, she participated in the Filipino Club. Her Master's thesis was entitled “The Relationship Between Educational Experience and Teaching Philosophy of Teachers of Home and Family Courses in the Public General Secondary Schools, Luzon, Philippines.” She married Mauro C. Simpliciano ‘58, a fellow Cornell alumnus. Following graduation, the couple moved back to the Philippines where she became a home economics teacher. She authored a few books on her father’s work and life, who was known as the "Father of Poultry Science" in the Philippines.

Zahida Quraishi was born in Delhi, India, but lived in various regions throughout North India and Pakistan. Prior to 1947, these two countries were governed under the imperial rule of the British Empire. On August 15, 1947, both India and Pakistan became independent nations. She began studying within the field of home economics at the Lady Irwin College for Home Science in New Delhi. She went on to receive a bachelor's degree from the University of Sind in Karachi, Pakistan and taught at the Pakistan Central Government College for Women before coming to the United States in 1950 where she earned her MA in Textiles and Clothing and her PhD in Home Economics at Cornell. Her dissertation explored the different ways in which U. S. home economics curriculum could be tailored to fit the needs of women living in Pakistan. While at Cornell, she was an elected member of the following honors societies: Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Nu, and Pi Lambda Theta. After completing her degree, she went on to work as a home economics teacher in high schools and colleges throughout India and Pakistan.

Anjani Mehta, born approximately 1925, came to Cornell as a transfer student from Elphinstone College, Mumbai. She arrived at Cornell with her aunt, who completed graduate work in the College of Agriculture. Mehta’s academic interests were centered on child development. While at Cornell, she participated in the Hindustan Association and the Women’s Tea Committee. She passed away in 2011.

Lee Ong Jung Smith, born approximately 1918, was the eldest daughter of a Chinese-American father and Chinese mother. She was born and raised in Rochester, New York along with her seven siblings. Her parents owned and operated a laundromat on Plymouth Avenue and were said to be one of the first Chinese families to live in Rochester. While at Cornell, she participated in the Cornell-in-China Club and the Glee Club. She was also president of Arete, a women’s social society. In 1941, she married Sidney Emerson Smith and worked as a home economics teacher before passing away in 1958.

Henrietta Hoag was born on Allegany Indian Territories in 1918. Her father, Arthur Hoag, was Seneca, Wolf Clan, while her mother, Isabelle Tallchief, was Seneca, Beaver Clan. At Cornell, she participated in the Cosmopolitan Club and helped organize both the 1937 and 1938 fashion showcase, “Costumes of Many Lands.” In 1942, she married her husband, Daniel Guilfoyle ‘40 in Ithaca before moving to New York City where her husband worked as a naval architect for the U.S. Navy. She worked for Cornell Alumni News until after the birth of her first son. The couple, who lived in a number of locations in New York and New Jersey, had three sons. While raising them, Henrietta volunteered in their schools and local hospitals. Henrietta passed away in 1983. Her surviving relatives include her younger brother, William Hoag, who is the oldest elder enrolled in the Seneca Nation.