During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering 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. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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