In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. 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 took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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