In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and informed 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 went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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