During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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