During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi 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. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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