In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen 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. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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