During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in 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 benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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