During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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