In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, 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 wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close 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 about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place 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 was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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