In the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. 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.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share 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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