In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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