In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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