During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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