During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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