In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way 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 pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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