In the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to 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 gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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