During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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