During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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