In the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, 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. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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