During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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