During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I met 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 forever grateful.
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