During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of 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, 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. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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