During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, 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, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know 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 immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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