During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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