In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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