During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies 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 recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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