During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained 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 microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student approached 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 showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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