In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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