During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits 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 don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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