In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me 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 told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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