During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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