In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq 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 gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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