During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
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 held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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