In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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