In the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
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 role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following 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 leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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