In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned 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 consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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