During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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