In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted 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 name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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