In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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