In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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