During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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