During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, 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 head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft 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 took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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