During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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