In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. 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. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. 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.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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