During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know 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 right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn 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 altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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