In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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