In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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