In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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