In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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